Holding on, or letting go?
by rosebuffy
Summary: Mainly Mallie and those that primarily surround them. They're in trouble, how does this affect the Seattle Grace machine? Set after 6x05 but not including the mercy westers or subsequent storylines.
1. Chapter 1

Meredith was trying, and failing, to have simultaneous conversations. Since Izzie had left, Alex had been almost unbearable. Sliding from the depths of despair to the absolute heights of rage he had taken to hunting out his fellow residents and moaning to them almost endlessly. This was conversation number one. The second Meredith was engaged in was on the phone to ambulance control who were describing the trauma that was on its way in. It didn't take a genius to figure out which one she was more interested in.

'I'm sorry could you repeat that? No not you Alex, I, no sorry I wasn't being rude I'm just…actually I am quite busy…well yes I realise it is the ER…Alex shut up!!...say that again, no Alex not you!...yes okay. Wait, what?' Meredith was actually listening intently now. 'ALEX!!' Finally Alex was quiet and Meredith turned her full attention to the phone. 'I'm really sorry but I need to hear that again…yes…okay…how serious?...Right and how can you tell?'

'What is it?' Alex whispered. Meredith shot him a look that could have frozen a lake.

'Both of them? Well if they aren't…no I understand…yes, yes we'll be waiting.' Meredith was about to hang up and she turned back to the phone. 'Wait, one more thing, do you know if the stabber was caught?...Thank you.'

Meredith replaced the phone and for a full 10 seconds just stared at the receiver. Then she shook her head. 'Alex?' she wasn't looking at him. 'I need you to think about someone other than yourself.' Alex inhaled as though about to explode on one of his rants about rejection. Meredith's head snapped up and in the second it took Alex to register the tears in her eyes he forgot all about his rant and closed his mouth. 'Can you do that?' Meredith asked. Alex nodded, confusion beginning to crease his brow.

'You wanna tell me what…' he began.

'Page all available surgeons and trauma staff – the good ones. However, do not. I mean it Alex, do not page Lexie' Alex nodded and turned away, 'or Derek,' Meredith said, making him turn back. He nodded and turned away again, 'or Arizona,' Alex turned back and nodded, waiting for the next name. Meredith stared at him for a second. 'That's it.' Alex nodded and opened his mouth to ask again what was going on. 'Go!' she instructed forcefully, 'they're only 5 out.' He nodded and left at a run as Meredith headed to the ambulance bay to wait.

Christina was the first to join Meredith. 'What did you do to make Alex start caring?' she asked as soon as she'd tied up her yellow thing. 'I mean he didn't even mention Izzie. I saw him before he could page me and he was all like. Big trauma. Meredith wants help. 5 out. Very direct. I like new Alex.'

'I don't think it'll last.' Meredith was distracted, her ears straining for the sirens. Bailey came storming through the automatic doors. 'Talk to me Grey.'

'Urm,' Meredith turned her head to face Bailey with apparent difficulty.

'Grey, we don't have all day.'

'Right, sorry, urm double trauma coming in. Two people in a car in town. The car was broken into and the break in guy stabbed them both, don't know why.' Meredith finished uncertainly.

'Well it's a good thing I didn't ask you why then, isn't it?' Bailey said. 'I don't care why. This is a hospital Grey, I want to know about injuries.'

'Yeah, and why didn't you let Alex page Derek, or Arizona or little Grey?' Interrupted Christina.

'You did what?' Bailey rounded on Meredith.

'No it's, it's just that…' Meredith seemed lost for words.

'Spit it out.' Bailey was impatient.

'The EMTs are pretty sure, that the patients, well they seemed to think it was…' the sirens interrupted her as two ambulances rolled into the bay and Hunt and Alex emerged from the ER. Bailey took control. 'Hunt, Karev the first one. Yang, Grey, with me on the second one ok?' They ran into action. Christina caught Meredith's arm as the doors were flung open. 'What were you saying?'

'Oh my God.' Bailey gasped as she saw her patient being pulled out of the Ambulance.

'Guys?' Called Alex as their patient was revealed.

'It's our guys. Callie and Sloan. They're the trauma.' Said Meredith.


	2. Chapter 2

Sloan was face down on the stretcher. His hair and perfect figure his defining features, but at least he was conscious. He kept trying to lift his head against the tape that was keeping him in place. 'Callie.' His voice was muffled but the desperation in his tone was unmistakable. 'Torres?' The muffled shout was slightly louder. 'Torres? Say something supposed to be sarcastic and insulting to me. Torres?!'

'You need to lie still Sloan. We haven't cleared your spine, you have multiple stab wounds and… Aren't you in pain?'

'I got morphine in the field and the stab wounds on my front have the pressure of my weight stopping the bleeding. Why am I still on my front though, by the way?'

'How much morphine were you given?' Hunt asked, they were now in trauma 2 and he was hooking Sloan up to the IV as Alex checked the vitals he could reach.

'Don't know. I was the patient. Why? Where's Callie?'

'Let's worry about you for now.'

'Where. Is. She.' Mark spoke softly, threateningly, then yelled, furiously fighting his restraints. 'Where's Torres!!'

'She's in trauma 1 man. Stop yelling.' Alex was checking the spine. He turned to Hunt. 'Spine feels fine.' Hunt looked at him incredulously. 'Oh. Yeah.' Alex looked down.

Hunt bent down to speak to Sloan. 'Your neck seems fine but the stabber. Well…he left the knife in your back.' Sloan visibly stiffened. 'We can't turn you over. We need to x-ray first.'

'Yeah. Obviously.' Sloan's voice seemed to thicken. 'Why can't I feel it?'

'It might be the morphine. It might be that the knife's not too deep. Can you move your toes?' Alex asked.

'I dunno. Are they moving now?' Sloan sounded worried. Hunt and Alex looked to his feet.

'No, sorry.' Hunt said.

'Wait.' Alex walked to his feet and bent down to look at them. 'It's slight but yeah, they're moving.' Sloan sighed with relief.

Hunt looked to the nurses and Alex. 'Okay let's hurry things along. Karev, let's head to x-ray. Now.'

They pushed the door open and hurried the gurney to the elevators just as, in Trauma 1, Meredith called a code.

* * *

'I don't get it.' Meredith was saying to Christina. 'If they were in the car when they were attacked, why does Sloan have his most serious stab wounds in his back?' Christina shrugged, uninterested. The EMT who had yet to leave turned to Meredith. 'It was more a gang than an individual. They seem to have attacked the car from both sides and from what we could tell the male passenger, sorry – Dr. Sloan, had put his body across Dr. Torres to protect her. Of course, by the time he had done this she'd already been stabbed in the chest.' Meredith nodded as the EMT continued. 'The wounds seem random, like the guys with knives couldn't even see what they were doing they just reached inside the car and started stabbing.'

'With some force.' Christina interrupted.

'What?' Meredith turned to Christina.

'Well she's been stabbed in her upper left chest area and it's really deep.' Christina put her fingers into the wound which was still bleeding quite profusely. 'Yeah, I can't feel where it ends. It may go all the way through.'

'Christina? Are you ok?' Meredith was shocked.

'I'm going to go. I have another shout.' The EMT was backing out of the door. 'Call us when something changes, if you can, they're good guys.' Bailey nodded in response to this and continued attaching the IV and pushing blood as she yelled to the nurses to get more units and drugs.

'Christina?' Meredith said, more urgently.

'Yeah. Why wouldn't I be? I love traumas. Shame it's the left. Not as much chance of a good cardio surgery.'

'Christina. It's Callie.' Meredith was incredulous. She knew how people regarded Christina as a robot. She knew better than that but here she was definitely talking to a robot.

'Whatever. A patient's a patient.'

Bailey interrupted. 'When you're finished, I'd like some help.' Her tone dripped with sarcasm, despite the panic and desperation in her gestures. 'She's lost a lot of blood, mainly from the chest wound, she's still not conscious, she's covered in blood and I don't know where it's come from and whose it is! So if you don't mind, some doctors would be nice!' Meredith and Christina nodded guiltily and hurried to the gurney. Meredith began to cut off Callie's dress to see if she could tell whose blood was whose and gasped. 'Bailey?' Blood was trickling steadily from a second serious stab wound in her gut. The tight fit of the dress had been keeping pressure around the wound. The blood flow increased as Meredith removed the fabric of the dress. 'Bailey?!' Bailey walked round to Callie's other side.

For a split second she stared and gasped. Then she regained herself. 'Grey. Did you go to Med school? Apply pressure! Yang get more blood we've got two serious stab wounds. Book an OR she's going to need some repairs.'

'Yeah. Bailey?' Christina was putting pressure on the chest wound. 'When I said it was deep…' Bailey walked back to where Christina was standing. Blood was spreading out onto the gurney from Callie's back so that she was lying in a pool of her own blood. '…I think it's safe to say it went straight through.'

Bailey kicked the brakes off the gurney 'OR. Now.' At that second the machines began to bleep.

'Code Blue.' Called Meredith as Alex and Hunt wheeled Sloan past the doors on his way to x-ray.

* * *

_I'm going to include other characters as the fic progresses which means that there's quite a bit of jumping around but hopefully the fic should still flow. I love writing this one so i will update as regularly as i can but i also love reviews so please feel free. Thanks. x_


	3. Chapter 3

Arizona rolled towards the surgical floor nurse's station. 'Has anyone seen the chief?' She addressed the question to anyone listening. Of course, in a place where everyone – nurses in particular – was so busy, a general question was never going to get an answer. Arizona tried again. 'Hi.' She caught one of the nurses gently by the arm. 'Have you seen the chief?' The kindness in Arizona's eyes made the nurse re-think her blunt head shake as an answer and instead she said, 'no sorry. I think he was headed to the ER though.' Arizona smiled. 'Thanks.' The nurse smiled too. Smiling was rare between staff who didn't know each other and between attendings and nurses…it was a nice change.

Arizona set off towards the elevators. Her heelies meant she got to the door just as the chief was getting in. 'Chief?' He turned as the doors were about to close and she wheeled in. 'Hi. I just wanted to ask you about …' the chief interrupted her.

'Really Dr. Robbins I think it would be better for everyone if you stayed in paeds tonight. It won't help anyone if you're hanging around the ER.'

Arizona looked confused. 'I wasn't planning on going to the ER I'm just following you. What's going on in the ER?'

'What?' The chief turned away, clearly caught in a lie, he realised he was trapped in an elevator and turned back.

'I might ask you the same thing? Chief Webber, is there a trauma you don't want me involved in? I don't mean to stereotype but I don't work nights often. Kids get most hurt during the day so I wouldn't have gone down to the ER except that I need to ask you something. What's going on?' Arizona was commanding the chief completely in this tiny space. The chief found he couldn't look away from her icy blue eyes.

'What…' he began with difficulty, 'What did you want to ask me?'

Arizona's eyes narrowed. She was torn between her curiosity and her concern for her patient. As always, the needs of another went above her needs for herself. 'I need to move my patient up the board. He's a 14 year old boy with…'

The chief looked up to the door as the elevator arrived at the ER floor. 'Do what you need to do with the board Robbins, it's all yours.' Said the chief, cutting her off. Arizona frowned. 'Seriously chief, what's going…' the doors opened and the chief walked out, Arizona followed. Realising that Arizona was behind him, he turned to send her back to the board. It was at that point that he saw Lexie Grey emerging from the stair well. He moaned under his breath.

Arizona was about to speak when she was cut off again, this time by Lexie. 'Why am I not allowed to work on this trauma? We need all the work we can get. You can't shut me out because you just feel like it. I need a reason.' Arizona turned to her.

'He doesn't want you down here either?' Lexie shook her head. Arizona turned back to the chief. 'What do we have that keeps us away from the ER? We've never worked together. Have we?' Lexie shook her head again. There was a second of silence as both women looked up at the chief. They both registered at the same time, it was like watching two light-bulbs suddenly flick on.

'Professionally, we have nothing in common.' Gasped Arizona.

'But personally we have…'

'Is Mark working tonight?'

'He went out with Callie. He said he was going out with Callie.'

'I remember, she swopped shifts so they were off at the same time.'

'Oh my God.'

Almost instinctively the women gripped each other's hands.

'Chief?'

'Where are they?'

'Chief!?'

Tears sprang to Arizona's eyes and her face crumpled. 'How bad is it?' She whispered. Lexie squeezed her hand. The chief took a deep breath. 'They were attacked in their car by at least two people with knives. It seems that Mark leant across Dr Torres to protect her. He has some stab wounds in his back, including the knife used to make them.' Lexie's hand shot to her mouth. 'He is conscious and lucid however and they've just taken him to x-ray.' Lexie let her hand fall slightly from her mouth as her breathing became easier. 'Callie?' Asked Arizona, so softly it was barely audible but the chief knew what she'd said. He took a steadying breath. 'She…she hasn't yet regained consciousness. She has at least two very serious stab wounds and she's had at least 4 units of blood already. We think she may have punctured her lung and her spleen but we can't get her to surgery until she stabilises.'

Arizona took a breath as though to speak but it caught in her throat and she shook her head. Lexie took her other hand to where she already held Arizona's so that she was clasping Arizona's one hand between her other two. 'Stabilises?' Said Lexie. Arizona nodded.

'Well. I came down to the ER because Torres coded.'

Arizona swayed and grabbed the wall for support. Lexie turned and gripped both her shoulders and turned her head to the chief. 'Go.' She instructed. He left for Trauma 1 at a run. Lexie turned to Arizona. 'Look at me. Come on Arizona, I don't know you very well so I don't want to have to slap you. Look at me. Please.' Arizona lifted her head. 'Good,' continued Lexie, 'now breathe. Breathe with me. In … out … in … out. We can't be any help if we can't keep it together ourselves.' Arizona nodded, her throat still too constricted to let her speak. 'Do you want to go and see her?' Arizona nodded again. Lexie took Arizona's hand again and turned to lead her to trauma 1.

* * *

_The reviews have been really lovely and Callie is my all time favourite character so if__ anything happens to her i'll try and do it well... Keep the reviews coming please. On my computer i'm on maybe chapter 8 and it's all falling into place. I'm very excited. Thank you. x _


	4. Chapter 4

'Shocking 200. Clear?' Bailey was handling the paddles. Meredith, Christina and the Chief let go and Bailey shocked Callie. Outside the door, Arizona saw her lover's whole body lift from the gurney and slam down. 'Nothing. Shocking 220.' Called Bailey.

'Stop.' Christina held a hand up. 'Every time she moves, this chest wound starts haemorrhaging from the back.'

'What do you want me to do about that Yang?' Bailey was rubbing the paddles together for another shock.

'Can we push more blood?' Christina called to the nurses. One ran out past Arizona and Lexie to get more blood.

'Clear.' Called Bailey. Still nothing.

'Where's it going?' Meredith asked.

'What?' Christina was keeping pressure on the chest wound as the chief pressed the mask to Callie's face to try and pump oxygen while she was still coding.

'The blood, where is the blood going?'

'The floor.' Christina looked at her like she was stupid.

'It's two major wounds, chest and gut as well as the superficial stuff. There should be more blood coming out or her colour should be improving considering the amount that's going in. So,' she looked back at Yang as Bailey called clear for a third time. 'Where is the blood going?' Finally, the machine began to rhythmically bleep.

'Got a pulse.' Bailey hurried to the end of the gurney to again go to the OR. Christina held back, her hand still putting pressure on the gauze covering the chest wound. 'No.' She said.

'No?' Bailey raised an eyebrow at her. 'You don't think Torres, bleeding out Torres, should go to the OR?'

'No.' Christina was quiet looking at the fading face of her flatmate. 'We have to get her to CT. I don't think we're really appreciating what we're looking at.' She looked at Bailey. 'It's Callie. We have to do this right.' Bailey nodded, Meredith smiled with relief at the renewed evidence of her best friend's heart, and they backed out of the door – straight into Arizona and Lexie.

Arizona jumped in front of the gurney as they headed for the lift, dragging Lexie with her and walking backwards so the gurney could keep moving. 'Tell me what's happening. Where are you taking her?' Arizona spoke to Bailey.

'Lexie?' Meredith looked at her sister.

'I'm okay. Mark's in x-ray.' Lexie replied.

'We're taking her to CT and then straight to the OR. Hopefully.' Bailey shot a look at Christina but it was ignored.

'Tell me her injures. What's the prognosis? Have you…'

'Dr. Robbins.' Bailey interrupted. 'Dr. Torres is a big girl. That is not your area of expertise. You cannot help and you are getting in my way.' Arizona's face crumpled. Bailey's voice softened. 'She's a big girl.' She repeated.

Arizona's voice was husky with tears, 'but she's my girl.'

Lexie drew her back against the wall as the Doctors rushed Callie into the elevator. She instinctively put her arm around Arizona's shoulders. Arizona turned her face into Lexie's neck and broke down as fresh sobs racked her body. Never in her life had she felt this hopeless. Even when her brother had died she had been vaguely comforted by the idea that there was nothing she could have done. He had been in a totally different country fighting a war that he believed in so strongly he was prepared to die for it. Callie wasn't ready to die. She'd been a victim, a wrong time wrong place scenario and now she was right here. She was in Arizona's hospital and there was nothing Arizona could do. 'Not your area of expertise.' The words stung but she was right. She gripped Lexie harder as the sobs burst forth from her heart.

Taking her arm out from around Arizona, Lexie put a hand on her cheek and turned Arizona's face to her own, using her other hand to gently wipe away some of her tears. 'The best you can do for her is to try to stay out of the way. I think.' Though she hated to have to admit it, Arizona nodded. Lexie shifted, not wanting to take away from Arizona's pain, she was only too aware of her own. 'Could we go and see Mark? Unless you want to…'

'No.' Arizona swallowed. 'You should go and see Mark, we should go and see Mark. I'd rather stay with you.' Hands still linked, they walked towards x-ray.

* * *

_You are lovely people, thanks so much for reviews and alert subscriptions its really kind. Reviews still appreciated, i hope you arent too frustrated that they're still injured but i want to get some other character dynamics sorted too. There's lovely stuff going on later on. Sorry its so short. The next chapters are longer. thanks x_


	5. Chapter 5

The Nurses were being exceptionally kind. There was, and probably always would be, a hierarchy related tension between the two medical bodies of Nurses and Doctors but they were all part of the same family now, all part of the same machine and their people, their sister and brother, their machinery, was in danger. They were clubbing together. Every department was doing their bit. Never had test results come through so quickly, scans been processed so fast. The board wasn't exceptionally busy but if it had been, it wouldn't have made the available ORs become available any more slowly. The nurses were being exceptionally kind.

Lexie and Arizona walked up to the Nurses station outside x-ray. No one offered them shallow words of comfort or a patronising hand on the shoulder. A nurse walked up to them with two cups. 'You won't want to eat or sit down. That's okay, it makes sense, but I've got you cocoa. It's good juju – according to a former staff member and you need the energy and the comfort of some hot chocolate.' She pressed it into their spare hands without waiting for a response and then escorted them straight to the room where Hunt and Alex were now examining the x-rays. No questions, no restrictions. She knew they wouldn't make a scene, they were part of the family too – they had a right to be there. 'Do you want anything else? Shall I call the families?' The nurse asked softly.

'No, thank you.' Replied Arizona, she was the support for Lexie now, 'their true families are already here. We can call the others later.' The nurse nodded and turned to leave. 'Really. Thank you.' Said Arizona. The nurse smiled and was gone.

'So?' Lexie dropped Arizona's hand and walked towards the images that Hunt and Alex were studying. For some reason it was odd to both the women, once their hands were free, like something was missing. They hadn't dropped hands since they had first heard the news though. That must be it. It didn't mean anything. 'So?' Lexie repeated standing right between the two men. 'How bad is it?' Hunt looked round, surprised to see her standing there. Her face bore the marks of crying, her skin was pale and her eyes dim but she looked resolute, focused. He didn't ask how she was, there seemed little point, she clearly wouldn't be fine or care about her own emotions – she was focused on Mark. 'See for yourself.' He indicated the x-rays.

Lexie looked more closely. Her brow creased. 'What is that?'

'Mainly just nerve damage. Right?' Alex turned to Hunt.

'Is that a penknife?' Lexie seemed almost incredulous. 'It's so small.'

'Right.' Hunt pointed to the image. 'The knife is actually being held in one of the vertebra.'

'It's puncturing the bone?' Arizona walked forward to look as well.

'Just.' Hunt nodded. 'The knife itself is so small that there is enough weight distribution for it to stay lodged in the spine, in the actual bone of the spine, only causing minimal nerve damage as it goes in. The very tip of the blade is in the body and that's all. We've given him drugs to combat the risk of infection so all that remains is to pull the knife out.'

Lexie grinned. 'So pull it out.'

Hunt looked uncomfortable. 'It's just that, bones are more complicated that you might assume. If we just pull it out in the wrong way and can't treat it then there's a risk of further cracks in the bone surface from the force of pulling on the knife and the big problem of bone marrow leaking into the rest of the body. It may seem simple but there's only one Doctor in the hospital that we could trust to do this. Only one Doctor that Sloan would trust. Only one Doctor that truly knows bones and that's…'

'Callie.' Finished Arizona. 'It's a high risk operation if anyone but Callie does it and she's…'

'Not looking good.' Finished Lexie, taking Arizona's hand again.

'Ironic.' Said Alex, still looking at the x-ray images. He turned back when he didn't hear a reaction. The women were looking at him, eyes narrowed. Behind them, Hunt was shaking his head. 'Not cool,' he mouthed.

* * *

_It's short i know, sorry about that. They all vary in length depending on content. I'm away this weekend but i'll upload late on Sunday if i'm back in time. Thanks again for your love, always welcome and appreciated. x_


	6. Chapter 6

'No wonder she hasn't woken up.'

In CT the Chief was looking closely at the screens. 'Look at her colon.' He whispered.

'Look at her lung.' Bailey gestured more urgently. She turned to Christina. 'She doesn't have a central line. Why does she not have a central line?'

'She didn't need one. She's getting blood, antibiotics and pain meds on IV. I didn't want to do any unnecessary procedures.'

'Unnecessary? Yang have you seen her lung?' The chief had raised his voice.

'If it wasn't for me, there wouldn't even be a CT to argue about. Someone,' she looked pointedly at Bailey, 'didn't even want a CT.'

'Guys. Stop this.' Meredith attempted to interject.

'Look at the haemothorax Yang!' The chief ignored Christina's dig at Bailey.

'Her lung is full of blood!' Meredith yelled as Bailey and Christina opened their mouths to speak. 'Her lung is full of blood,' she said, more softly, 'and we are here arguing about whose fault it is we didn't know sooner so we could have done something about it.' They all shifted uncomfortably. 'So do something about it!' As if they needed more motivation, just then, the heart monitor began a continuous bleep.

'Callie!' Christina ran straight into the scan room and pulled Callie out. Before she'd even called for one Meredith had thrust the central line kit into her hand. Still in the scan room Christina expertly thrust the central line in. 'Oh my God.' Bailey and the Chief came into the room after Meredith to witness Christina jumping backwards to try and avoid the rush of blood that exited the central line. 'That's about 100cc of blood in the chest.' The chief picked his way round to look better at the line.

'It's in a good place Yang.'

'Yes sir. I know.'

Bailey was staring at the blood that was still just trickling from the central line to join the massive puddle that had formed on the floor, 'Grey. I assume that the OR is still booked.' Meredith looked up.

'Absolutely.'

'Then let's go!' Meredith and Bailey left the room and returned with the gurney. All four of them lifted Callie onto it and headed straight to the OR. Bailey turned to Meredith, 'We need all the surgeons we can find on this. God knows what other internal injuries she's got. Find Hunt and Karev if they aren't still busy on Sloan. Where's Shepherd?'

Meredith stopped dead in the hallway. 'Oh God. Derek.' She ran to catch up with the gurney. 'I'll find them.' She stopped again and leant against the wall. 'No-one's told Derek,' she muttered under her breath. 'Not good.'

* * *

Derek walked into the clinic. He could not find anyone he knew. The Chief, Bailey, Meredith, Yang, Karev and Hunt had all disappeared. He hadn't seen little Grey in a long time and he knew that Mark and Torres weren't working. They were really the only people he spoke to. He didn't have any surgeries and, quite honestly, he was feeling lonely. This was why he walked into the clinic. Here, hopefully, he would be able to find someone he recognised. No luck, just a few interns he didn't know and about two patients that were already being treated.

At that moment a young boy walked into the clinic. None of the interns were available and the one that had looked his way had physically run out of the clinic in the direction of the supplies cupboard at the state of the boy. Derek took the situation in and then headed straight for the boy. He was crying. His hand was wrapped in a blood soaked piece of clothing. Judging by the fact that he was topless, Derek assumed that he'd wrapped his own top around his bleeding hand. Derek gently led him to one of the free gurneys and sat him down. 'My name's Dr. Shepherd. Can I have a look at that hand.' The boy held his hand closer to him and his sobbing increased.

'I, I, I, never meant it to…it wasn't meant to…oh god.' He broke down into fresh sobs. Derek gently took the hand and, even more gently, unwrapped the top. The boy had a stab wound going literally straight through his hand. Looking fairly fresh it was still oozing blood. Derek took a sharp intake of breath. 'How…'

'I can't…I shouldn't.' The boy was highly distressed.

'Do I need to call the police?'

The boy shook his head and shrank back from Derek, 'No, please don't. I didn't mean to hurt him I…I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.'

Derek frowned. 'Why are you sorry? You're the one that's injured.'

The boy bowed his head and the whole story seemed to fall out of him as Derek listened, nodded, frowned gasped and attempted to sort out his wounded hand at appropriate intervals.

'It's a punishment. I didn't do it. Not enough. I'm not in. I couldn't. What do you know about gangs? People think the media are right about gang warfare about the seriousness of membership, initiation, brotherhood. They are. God, they're all right. I didn't want anyone to get hurt but my brother's already in and my mum drinks and my dad left and they said they'd look after me. It doesn't make any sense, why hurt the unknown for initiation, what does that prove? Ouch! Sorry, I shouldn't be saying this, I shouldn't be saying this. They were just two people. They were in a car, dressed up nice I think. Red light, no cars behind them or anything, practically deserted crossroads. Me and this other guy, he was re-doing his initiation. He's been there longer, he's tougher, better. I didn't want to do it but they were in the right place. Right place, right time, perfect. Not for them, obviously, but for us. One of the windows was already rolled down, the woman's side. She was driving. The other guy I was with, Rick, he's called Rick. He ran round to her side and gets this knife, this massive knife from nowhere and he just plunges it into her chest and I yell and he's yelling at me and I break the guys window and just start stabbing. I'm doing it wrong I know I'm doing it wrong, the guy just pushes me out of the way and throws his body across the woman. Rick's already done it though. He leant all the way into the car and stabbed her again, right in the stomach. I panicked and I leant in and just started stabbing the other guy. I still wasn't doing it right. My knife was too small. Shit. Rick's yelling, we have to go. The woman was screaming but she isn't screaming now and the guy's yelling and I panicked and I just stuck the knife right into his back and it didn't come out so I left it there and I ran. It's a condition of the initiation. To pass it you have to wait and if there isn't an ambulance coming you have to call it in. We did that. It doesn't make sense. We aren't murderers but if your victim is conscious when the ambulance arrives then you haven't passed. That's how Rick lost the first time. The woman before woke up when the EMTs got there. This time she didn't wake up and the EMTs start yelling at each other as soon as they can make out the couple's faces and then we hear the guy yelling some name or something and we know he's conscious and then Rick gives me this look. The knife still has the woman's blood on it and he just turns to me, still in the alley and he goes – I'm in, my woman's practically dead so now I have the right – and he grabs my hand and the knife goes in and I'm yelling but now the sirens are going and you can't hear a thing and he pulls the knife out and runs away. I was in the alley for ages but it wouldn't stop bleeding and I need my hand. I want to keep my hand. I came here. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.'

He finally looked up at Derek. Derek was staring at him, a completely blank expression on his face. 'It's a fairly clean cut.' His voice was dead, flat. 'You'll need to come back to get the stitches out but it's clean. I'll write a prescription for pain meds. Wait here. You have to talk to the police.' The boy opened his mouth to speak but Derek simply put up a hand. 'You've said enough. Thank you. Just wait. Please.'

Derek walked to reception and put the details on file and called the police. Now he had to find Meredith, and these stab victims. It must be a big trauma, why hadn't he been paged? Maybe they were already dead. He paged Meredith again.

* * *

_Longer, right? I wasnt going to put in the explanation but i figured it was important. In my head it was already part of the story so i thought it should be for you guys too. For those people that asked questions, i am a massive Mallie fan so my overall intention has always been to make this a Mallie love story. Don't worry, there's still lots to come, i just didn't want to ignore the fact that the fic is afterall based on a medical drama and that the two characters are in seemingly successful relationships currently. Thank you, please keep reviewing and reading. x_


	7. Chapter 7

Meredith was officially exhausted and she had only just actually made it to the OR for Callie's surgery which, by this point, was nearly two and a half hours in.

Finding Hunt and Alex hadn't been much of a problem at all really. They'd been easy to find given the directions she'd got from the nurses by x-ray, the last place she knew they'd taken Sloan. They were researching ortho, of all things. When she'd found them she'd almost said, 'why are you looking up ortho? Just ask Callie – you know she's the best.' As soon as she'd thought it she'd wanted to put her foot in her mouth. Explaining the situation hadn't taken long. They instantly left to scrub in. Sloan was stable, in fact he was sleeping – Lexie and Arizona keeping a bedside vigil. Sloan was now on a massaging table so that he could stay on his front with more ease and so that there was less pressure on his head and neck. The wounds on his front still hadn't actually been looked at. The mention of Lexie and Arizona had reminded Meredith that they hadn't been updated in a while.

Next, therefore, she'd rushed to them in Mark's room. They weren't so much keeping a vigil as sleeping in his room. She'd burst in to find them sleeping against each other on the sofa, their hands still firmly clasped. Gently waking both of them, she'd explained the situation as best she could her heart breaking as she saw the fresh pain on Arizona's face and the empathetic pain that Lexie clearly couldn't help feeling. They'd all kept their voices down. Subconsciously, no one was quite ready to tell Mark that his valiant efforts at defending Callie hadn't actually made any difference and had probably just got him more hurt. Leaving them had been hard but Meredith had to find Derek, she was dreading talking to him and had ignored all of his pages.

In the end, he found her. 'Meredith.' He'd run up to her as she was getting into the elevator to go back to the ER and got in with her. She opened her mouth to speak, not entirely sure what to say but he'd already begun talking. 'I just stitched up a boy in the clinic. He was involved in a gang initiation that involved a double stabbing, sounded quite serious.' Meredith had looked at him, her eyes urging him to go on. 'Apparently his friend did some pretty serious damage to the female driver and he left his knife in the male passenger's back!' Meredith gasped. 'How come I wasn't paged about that, were they both DOA?' He finally registered Meredith's expression. 'What?' Meredith just shook her head. Derek took her hand and held it tight. 'Meredith what is it?'

'They weren't DOA.' She whispered. 'I asked them not to page you. The stabber's here?'

'Yes he's, wait, you did what?'

'Derek I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have found out from the boy. I forgot to tell you, I didn't want you to worry until they were stable.'

'I don't understand. Is it someone I know?'

'Derek, Mark was the male passenger and Callie was the female driver.'

The elevator doors opened and they automatically stepped out. Derek looked at her, taking a moment for the information to sink in. Then he narrowed his eyes. 'I stitched up the boy who left a knife in my best friend's back?'

'Mark's stable. The knife's still there but he's stable.' Derek let go of Meredith's hand. 'Callie?' He asked.

'She's in a bad way. The stab wounds are both in fatal places and I'm trying to get all the surgeons together to do her operation. We need you.'

'Could she die?' Derek was backing away.

'Don't ask me that.' Meredith took a step towards him.

'Could she die Meredith?' He was ignoring her yet still questioning her as he turned and walked away. Fast.

'Derek where are you going?' Meredith followed him at a run as he headed for the front doors. He took a right in the ambulance bay and headed straight back into the hospital via the clinic. 'Derek?' Meredith called, working it out. 'Derek, don't!'

Derek had burst into the clinic. 'Where is he?'

'Derek, please, this won't help.' Meredith had followed him in, her voice full of desperation and pleading. 'What are you gonna do? You have to help Callie now.'

Derek hadn't heard a word she'd said. He had, however, spotted the boy. He was no longer crying but he was pale and trembling as he sat on the same gurney Derek had left him on – two large policemen were questioning him as a nurse wrapped a bandage round his freshly stitched hand. Derek stormed towards him.

'Do you have any idea what you've done?' He yelled at the boy, pushing past the police and grabbing the boy's collar.

'Derek!' Meredith had run over and attempted to pull him off the boy.

'They were not just a woman and a guy, they were people. Incredible, talented, amazing people with morality and goodness in their souls that someone like you could never understand!' Derek was yelling right into the boy's face as tears started to form in his eyes. The Policemen managed to pull Derek off as Meredith ran to the boy and attempted to comfort him before handing him back to the nurse. Derek had gone limp in the tight grip of the police. His head was bowed and he was breathing heavily.

'Sorry.' Meredith said to the policemen, she couldn't bring herself to justify saying sorry to the boy. 'The stab victims are Doctors here.'

Behind her, the boy whimpered.

'We're just operating on the woman, Dr. Torres, you may know her – ortho attending?' The police nodded, they were often in the hospital and Callie turned a lot of heads. Simultaneously they released Derek, one, instead, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 'The male passenger, Dr Sloan, he's stable but the position of the knife is a worry and really the only surgeon we can trust to work on him is Dr. Torres.' Meredith continued to the police. Derek's head shot up, tears in his eyes. This was news to him. 'So. It's imperative that we can do Dr. Torres surgery now.' She turned to look at Derek. 'We need you.'

Derek ran a hand over his face and straightened his lab coat. Without a word, or even a look back at anyone he headed straight for the elevators. Meredith gave a final glance in the boy's direction before following her husband at a run.

By this point, Derek had apparently abandoned his emotions. He spoke very professionally to Meredith asking for the statuses of both 'patients' and what his role in the operation would be. Meredith understood. He couldn't function right if he was in his head, he had to let his training and experience take over so he could do the best job he knew how to do. In the elevator, they had instinctively drawn closer to each other until, almost without meaning to, their shoulders were touching. Only then did they reach out and interlock their fingers. The doors had opened, Derek had leant down and kissed the top of her head and then, as soon as they left the elevator, they were professionals again walking, fast, towards surgery.

So now, two and a half hours later, Meredith was finally scrubbed in to enter the OR. It was not going well.

* * *

_Finally, Derek knows. It's getting harder to allow all the characters worth mentioning to have a role to play so i think Hunt and Alex will have to take a bit of a backseat. I really dont like Alex very much anyway - sorry. I was pleased that he finally showed his vulnerability in the most recent episode though. Has anyone else noticed that Callie hasnt worn her hair down at all since she became an attending? She looks gorgeous with her hair down - what's going on? Please review etc. thank you very much for sticking with me. x _


	8. Chapter 8

Bailey and the Chief were elbow deep in her gut. 'It's still bleeding, Sir,' Bailey was saying.

'I can see that Bailey.'

'Where's it coming from, Sir,'

'If I knew that I would have stopped it by now Bailey.'

'Of course sir.'

'My God.'

'What?'

'This knife had some power behind it, it's almost gone all the way through as well. We have to start at the bottom and work our way up.'

'Clamp.'

'I can't find the bottom bleeder.'

'Need some more hands?' Meredith joined them.

'Grey.' They both looked up.

'Yes.' Bailey was first. 'Hand here. Now.'

At the other end of Callie's torso Christina had cracked open her chest. 'Alex get out of my light.' Christina had both hands in Callie's chest. 'I can't find the bleeders if I can't see.' Alex backed out of the light. He stood idle for a couple of seconds before realising that he could set to work on the superficial stab wounds all over the torso. Derek joined Christina at the chest. 'You can find the bleeders without light Christina. You're a good instinctive surgeon. Feel them out.' He walked round to her side and began to help her when, yet again, the machine began to bleep.

'Hands out.' Called the Chief. As they all raised their hands, Meredith looked up to the gallery. Sat looking down at the coding patient all four eyes filled with tears were Arizona and Lexie. Hands still held, faces still pale.

'Chief?' Meredith gestured to the gallery.

'Crap.' He exclaimed.

'Crap.' Called Christina.

'I know.' Bailey agreed.

'No, I know why she's coding. I found the bleeders, they're all clamped and Shepherd and I are going to close them off but it's not that. I don't think it's the gut either.'

'Spit it out Yang.' The chief was impatient.

'We cleared the haemothorax but the blood left the lung so fast it didn't get a chance to re-inflate. We've been operating on a collapsed lung.'

'My God.' Derek was already on it. Fast and expertly he inserted a tube and re-inflated the lung. The machines instantly stopped bleeping.

'Well caught Yang.' Bailey nodded. Meredith looked up to the gallery again, Lexie and Arizona were locked in a fierce embrace as tears streamed down both their cheeks.

'Okay people.' The chief brought the focus back to the room. 'We've been given another chance. Let's use it.'

With renewed energy focus and passion the surgeons got to work. Slowly but surely they began to combat Callie's injuries and after nearly six hours of surgery she was wheeled to recovery. Finally she could be pronounced stable.

* * *

_Pitifully short i know. Sorry. Plot wise it just makes sense to stop here. I gave you two long ones before to try and make up for it. I know you want longer but as i upload daily i'm beginning to upload faster than can write. Please dont hate me... x_

_ps. Sara is possibly the most stunning woman on television so of course her hair looks great. When will she get more screen time? At least she had some great lines and eyebrow moments this week. The last episode i swear all she did was say 'we lost the pulse' and that was in the trailer!_


	9. Chapter 9

'Go through it all again.' 2 days after Callie's operation, Mark was now being allowed to lie on his side, as long as he was taped there and the knife was well dressed and stabilised. The doctors had come to the conclusion that, until they could get an expert opinion they would not attempt to remove the knife and the only opinion that Mark was interested in getting was Callie's. Lexie sighed. Mark was in the room next door to Callie, he hadn't been to see her because no one was willing to risk moving his spine that much and he still didn't have full leg mobility. She hadn't been to see him because she still hadn't woken up.

'Mark I've gone through it nearly every hour for the last 2 days. Hardly anything's changed.' Lexie was exasperated. She wasn't angry, her boyfriend was hospitalised she couldn't be, but she was exasperated.

'Go through it again.' He wasn't being polite about it, he just wanted to know.

Lexie sighed again, 'she was stabbed twice severely, once in the chest and once in the gut – both on the left side. This happened before you moved to protect her so there was nothing you could have done.'

'I could have moved faster.' Mark muttered. He said this, at this point, every time. Lexie ignored him and continued.

'She had a massive haemothorax from the chest wound which, by the way, penetrated straight through the body. The gut wound almost did the same but it wasn't quite as deep. The chest wound lead to a collapsed lung which they re-inflated during a strenuous 6 hour surgery that was wholly successful at the repairs it attempted. Callie hasn't been conscious since you last saw her. Derek's doing really regular CTs and he's pretty certain that her brain stayed permeated the whole time. They're keeping her in a drug induced coma because the stress on her body was so great they want to let it do its own repairs for a bit.'

Sloan nodded, 'any changes today?'

At that moment Arizona walked in with a cup of cocoa for Lexie. 'Thank God.' Lexie breathed, standing to take the cup and hugging Arizona as she took it. 'I need some juju,' she whispered.

'Some what?!' Arizona hissed.

'Juju, it's in the cup. Remember, the cocoa is juju?'

Arizona breathed heavily, 'I thought you meant something different.'

Lexie shook her head, confused, and then continued, a slight frown on her face, 'okaaay. I wanted to ask you about Callie. Actually Mark wanted to ask you about Callie. He won't talk about anything else. I can't blame him or anything but I just…do you have any news about Callie?'

Arizona shook her head. 'I literally just got in. I came here first.' Mark had been listening. 'You came to see me first?'

'No.' Arizona answered too quickly and Mark grunted his disapproval. 'Sorry Mark. I came to see Lexie. I think I was getting in the nurses' and Doctors' way in Callie's room so I came here first. Do you mind?'

'Will Callie?' Mark was looking at his girlfriend and his best friend's girlfriend with suspicion. He didn't like how comfortable they were around each other. 'Can you get some staff to come and turn me over? My arm's going numb and I can't have that.' Lexie briefly touched Arizona's arm as she left to ask at the nurse's station. Arizona looked out of the door after her and, quite suddenly, seemed to become aware of Mark looking at her. She turned quickly back, 'They're going to try and wake her up today I think. She'll be really pissed that she's missed three days of gossip.'

'Callie's not too fussed about gossip.' Mark was still frowning.

'Right. Sorry. I know that, because she's the subject of it so often. Right?' Arizona didn't seem sure of herself.

'You're her girlfriend. You should tell me.' Mark's tone was cold.

'Right, I know. You've known her longer though.'

'Yeah. I know her really well.'

Arizona frowned. 'What does that…'

Lexie walked back in with Alex and two porters. 'How come you're not with…' Alex began. Arizona put up a hand. 'I'm going, I'm going. I'm gone.' She called as she walked next door.

Bailey, Christina and Meredith were standing around Callie's bed as Arizona walked in. 'Dr. Robbins.' Bailey nodded by way of greeting.

'I'm here okay. Don't judge me.'

Meredith and Christina looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

'I wasn't.' Bailey spoke bluntly and turned back to Callie, still talking to Arizona. 'We were just waiting for you to be here when we wean Dr Torres off the drugs. She will panic because she'll be in lots of pain, she's intubated and she'll have missed 2 days of her life and be very disorientated. Okay?'

Arizona nodded and walked forward to take Callie's hand.

'It might be more helpful if you actually hold that hand down.' Christina said, coldly, as she walked to the other hand to do just that. 'Maybe the whole arm actually.' Arizona looked up, shocked, to see Bailey walking to Callie's feet to hold them in place too. 'We don't want her kicking and hurting herself even more or trying to pull things out.'

'Okay.' Arizona adjusted her grip as Bailey nodded to Meredith to inject the cocktail of drugs to wake Callie up.

It was horrible to watch. Callie's eyelids began to flicker and Arizona, in a soft soothing voice began to say her name to coax her back to consciousness. It took about 10 full seconds for Callie to flicker her eyes half open. That was when she started to panic. Her eyes bulged as she realised that not only could she not move she couldn't even scream for help. Her eyes darted around the room, half squinting against the unfamiliar brightness as she choked and struggled against her restraints and the intubation. Tears started to stream down her cheeks and a guttural, desperate moan issued from her. 'Arizona!' Meredith yelled. 'Talk to her!' Arizona had been staring in horror at her girlfriends face. Callie's stifled moans were turning into traumatised screams as she continued to fight. 'She's going to pull her stitches and hyperventilate Robbins.' Bailey shouted at Arizona. 'Do your job!' Arizona was still frozen. Christina looked despairingly at Arizona, climbed onto the gurney and leant over so that she was all Callie could see. 'Callie!' Callie stopped screaming and breathed heavily, still making whimpering sounds of panic. 'Callie, look straight at me okay?' Callie's eyes were so wide, so scared, that even Christina had to fight not to look away. 'Callie do you remember being attacked in the car with Mark?' Clearly Callie did. For a second she just looked horrified but then she began to fight again, even harder than before. 'Callie stop it. Just stop it Callie you're going to hurt yourself!' Christina was panicking. Meredith understood.

'It's Mark.' She brought herself into Callie as well, 'he's fine, he's just next door. He keeps asking about you. We need your ortho skill for him actually he…' Callie's eyes were wide again. Meredith looked down to Bailey at Callie's feet, she shook her head, not impressed. 'But he's fine.' Meredith finished lamely, dropping back down to Callie's side.

'You need to relax Callie.' Christina continued. 'You've been unconscious for nearly 3 days, you went through a long operation, you're covered in sutures, inside and out, and I know you're probably in pain but you are on pain meds.' Callie began to choke again. 'Are you ready to be extubated?' Callie's choking intensified. 'Okay.' Arizona backed away to the wall, releasing Callie's hand. Bailey took the vacated position on Callie's other side. Meredith adjusted the gurney so that Callie was in a more upright position. Bailey nodded to Christina, 'okay.' Christina nodded back.

'Callie, you know the drill. Deep breath in and…' Bailey pulled on the intubation tube. As soon as it came out Meredith put a basin under Callie's chin. She vomited bile, there was nothing else in her stomach. She continued to gag and wretch, fresh tears falling down her cheeks as Christina rubbed her back. Once the coughing had finally subsided she took a deep, rasping breath. Bailey stepped back and Arizona walked to Callie's side, her cheeks also wet with tears. 'Callie.' She breathed. Callie turned to look at her, slowly, painfully, 'Mark.' She whispered. 'How's Mark?'

* * *

_Callie's awake! Yay. Maybe some Mallie love may soon appear... I hope you approve that this one's longer. You're all wonderful. Thanks. Reviews always appreciated. x._

_ps. In response to a couple of lovely reviewers; Sara Ramirez has possibly the most amazing eyebrows on tv!_


	10. Chapter 10

Mark had heard the shouting from next door and desperately attempted to shout back but over the other sounds around them, Lexie was the only one who could hear him. He had stopped shouting and closed his eyes as though that might help him block out the sounds of his best friend in pain. When the sounds had stopped he had strained his ears to listen to the silence. It was then that he realised that the sound of Callie in pain was better than no Callie at all. He strained harder and heard her whisper. 'How's Mark?'

'Callie?' He yelled. 'Callie!'

'Mark!' Her voice was louder, an attempt at shouting but still too hoarse to truly carry. 'Mark, are you ok?'

'I'm doing better than you Torres.' To his surprise, as much as anyone else's, he found tears of relief streaming down his cheeks. 'Where you been for forever Torres?'

'Apparently I got sick. Sorry Mark.'

It was probably most bizarre to the nurses on the station that these two patients, unable to move to each other, were shouting through the wall.

'You should be. Had me worried sick Torres. You better not get hurt ever again, ok?'

'Ok.' A slight pause. 'Same goes to you too Mark.'

'It's a deal.'

'I'd shake your hand but I can't move.'

'Me either.'

'We'll shake later.'

'Count on it Torres.'

'Mark?'

'Yeah.'

'Did you throw yourself across me in that car?'

'You remember that?'

'Yeah.'

'Yeah. Kinda.'

'Thank you.'

'Shut up.'

'Mark?'

'Yeah.'

'I hate you.'

'I hate you too.'

* * *

It wouldn't have been possible for anyone else in the hospital but it was Mark and Callie and they were not only important staff in the hospital but they had a medical excuse. For the sake of the paperwork, Callie was giving Sloan a consult whilst bedbound. The truth was that they were best friends and they had made a big fuss about it and now they were in the same room.

Meredith and Christina were on their way to take respective vitals on Callie and Mark when they saw Arizona and Lexie sat on the floor in the corridor. Lexie's head was resting on Arizona's shoulder as Arizona stroked her hair. 'Is something wrong?' Meredith walked over to them, concerned. Lexie looked up.

'Nothing's wrong. It's just that, well…'

'We feel like spare parts in there.' Arizona said. 'They have loads of talking to do and we just feel like we're getting in the way.'

'Kinda like we're intruding.' Lexie added.

'So you just thought you'd get friendly in the corridor?' Christina had never been one to beat about the bush.

'Friendly?' Lexie physically slid away from Arizona.

'We're just friends.' Arizona was defensive.

'You weren't before.' Meredith looked at Christina who shrugged with a what-did-i-do look on her face.

'Well now we are.' Lexie was also getting defensive. 'Is that a problem?'

'No of course not.' Meredith took Christina's arm and lead her into Callie and Mark's room.

Mark was back on his front, his head turned to look at Callie. She was looking at the ceiling, a wide grin on her face.

'It's not funny Torres.' He was saying.

'But it so is. I can't look at you or I'll laugh, then you'll laugh and you really shouldn't be moving. You just look ridiculous.'

'Callie, I have a knife in my back.'

'Yeah but it's so small and it's sticking straight up and it's just low enough down that…' she giggled. 'I'm sorry.' She burst out laughing. 'I can't help it.'

Mark couldn't help smiling. 'I was so scared I'd never hear you laugh again.' He said it softly but everyone heard. Christina cleared her throat.

'We're just here to take your vitals.' Meredith said walking to Callie and examining the machines as Christina walked to Mark. 'Have you looked at the knife as an ortho attending yet?' Christina turned to Callie.

'Yeah.' Callie winced as Meredith checked her sutures. 'Yeah, he definitely needs surgery and then lots of physio but I've looked at the x-rays and his lower mobility shouldn't be affected.' Mark snorted with laughter. Callie laughed too. 'Was there any need to go there Mark?' In response he just laughed again. 'Anyway,' she continued. 'He'll need a plastic filler in the puncture and a coating on the vertebra to prevent further cracks or damage and to make sure the bone isn't weakened. It's only tiny so there shouldn't have been any marrow leakage but I want to investigate around the puncture just to be sure. It's a fairly simple surgery.'

'For you.' Said Christina.

'Who else is gonna do it?' Callie asked.

'You can't.' Meredith was shocked.

'Why not? I feel fine.'

Christina walked over to her and prodded the sutures on her chest. Callie yelled in pain.

'Christina!' Meredith exclaimed.

'My God Yang!' Sloan added.

'You're not fine.' Christina concluded.

Callie turned to Meredith. 'I can do this surgery, I know I can. Seriously Grey, the sooner it's done, the sooner we'll both be on our feet and back at work. The hospital needs both of us. We're attendings.'

'I know. But you had serious surgery two days ago Callie.'

'I'll be ok to stand on my feet for a couple of hours.' Callie clearly couldn't see a problem in the request.

'Hours?' Mark asked.

'Well I need to sort out the bone after I pull out the little knife.'

'Less of the little, Torres. I am far from little.'

'I remember,' she said, grinning.

'Ok. Weirding me out now.' Interrupted Meredith. 'I'll talk to the chief.'

'What?' Christina turned to Meredith.

'I'll talk to the chief,' she repeated. 'If you and I scrub in and Bailey too we can be on hand to help Callie.'

'Or catch her when she collapses.'

'I'm fine.' Christina shot Callie a look and she was quiet.

'Just talk to the chief,' said Mark. 'I really want to be able to turn over soon. Real soon.'

* * *

_They're both conscious and talking... Much more Mallie to come. How do we feel about where the other characters are going? x_


	11. Chapter 11

'No.' The chief walked into his office and closed the door.

Christina looked at Meredith with an eyebrows raised, I told you so, look. Meredith narrowed her eyes at her and walked into the office. 'No?' She asked.

'Did you knock Grey?'

'No.'

'Are you deaf Grey?'

'No.'

'So why are you here?'

'Because you said no.' Behind Meredith, Christina laughed. They both turned to look at her. 'Oh, I'm just here cos…it's funny sir.'

The Chief shook his head and looked back to Meredith. 'It's still no, Grey.'

'Why?' Meredith looked genuinely upset.

'Can she walk?'

'Well no, not well anyway. It puts too much pressure on…'

'Can she move her arms?' The Chief interrupted.

'She has full mobility in her right arm and she's right handed so…'

'Can she move her arms?' The Chief spoke more slowly and deliberately.

'As her surgeon I'd say she shouldn't be moving her left arm above the elbow and lots of Callie's work engages the shoulder for all her pushing and pulling and breaking things,' Christina had stepped forward, 'so I'd say she can move one arm.'

The Chief raised his eyebrows at Meredith, 'you want me to let a surgeon with one effective arm and the inability to stand, operate on the spine of our head of plastics, our incredibly expensive and talented head of plastics?'

Christina suppressed a snort of laughter. Meredith glared at her and then looked back to the Chief. 'Yes.' She walked towards him and looked right into his eyes, 'Sir, I know it isn't very logical and it doesn't seem very sensible but just talk to her about the surgery. You know very well that Mark Sloan will only trust Callie, in this whole hospital, except maybe Derek and Lexie, to touch him – let alone operate on him. The surgery needs to be done sir.'

'I'll talk to her Grey, but it's still a resounding no.'

*

2 days later, Derek Shepherd was on a mission. He stormed past the Nurse's station on the recovery floor where Callie and Mark's room was. Arizona, walking towards the room from the opposite end of the corridor with Lexie reached out a hand across Lexie, almost instinctively, to protect her from the fire clearly brewing in Derek's eyes. He burst into the room, Arizona and Lexie following closely, but not too closely, behind. Inside, Callie had changed, with help, into her dark blue scrubs and was now being assisted by both Meredith and Christina into a wheelchair. She looked like it was a painful effort. 'Torres!' Derek called.

'Shepherd!' Mark called a cheerful greeting from his horizontal position.

'Derek.' Meredith said, warningly.

'Sloan.' Christina glared at Mark, this didn't really involve him.

'Christina?' Lexie didn't approve of the way Christina was talking to her boyfriend.

'Meredith?' Callie grabbed Meredith's arm for support as Christina had practically dropped her when she looked over at Mark.

'Callie!' Arizona put an arm forward as she saw Callie slipping.

There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to gauge who was addressing them and who they were addressing, then everyone began their conversations over one another;

'You're operating on Mark like this??'

'Derek, chill, it was my idea.'

'Derek I told you not to react like this.'

'Mark, shut up, you're just the patient.'

'Christina, don't be like that.'

'A hand? Anyone? I'm slipping…'

'Yang. Pay attention.'

Of course, no one heard a word anyone else said. Arizona pushed past Derek and wrapped her arms round Callie's torso, supporting her so that she could regain her balance and slide into the wheelchair. Christina looked down, surprise creasing her brow as Meredith suddenly realised what she was meant to be doing and bent to help Arizona. Lexie walked round Derek to massage Mark's legs – it was important to maintain circulation when he was so static. Derek was left surveying the scene around him, getting no attention and not liking it.

'Hello?' He called to the room, in general. Arizona sat down on Callie's vacated bed, where she was joined by Christina and Lexie, Meredith stood behind Callie's chair, ready to move her, and Mark didn't move. He couldn't. All the people who could, turned their heads to Derek expectantly. 'Yes?' Callie was the first to speak. 'Make it quick, I have to go and scrub in for a very important surgery.'

'Yeah.' Called Mark, not wanting to feel left out.

'Torres. Look at you. You are in no fit state to perform surgery.'

'I'm fine.' She turned to Meredith, 'Can we go?'

'You have to be wheeled to surgery. You're the surgeon, open your eyes!'

'My eyes are fine thank you.'

'This is ridiculous,' Derek looked around the room, infuriated that no one else was sharing his opinion. 'It's ridiculous!' He repeated, louder, as if that would make him more convincing. 'Why is no one agreeing with me?' He looked around the room.

'Because, we know there isn't another option.' Lexie said calmly.

'Mark and Callie match only each other in terms of obstinance.' Arizona smiled fondly, Lexie nodded wisely in agreement.

'You're fighting a losing battle Shepherd.' Yang said, blandly. 'Believe me, I know.' Derek looked around in complete shock and moved aside, almost in a daze as Meredith wheeled Callie in and the pre-op team came in to take Mark to surgery.

* * *

_Thanks for all your continued support. My favourite chapter coming up. On a slightly different note: I think this week's episode significantly repaid all of us Callie-hair-down fans. She looked absolutely STUNNING. Continue to review please. I love reading everything. x_


	12. Chapter 12

'Does everyone know the drill?' Bailey was addressing the assembled team in the OR. Callie's wheelchair was in the corner of the room, ready. Callie herself stood, determinably upright, next to Mark's back – he was already under. Christina stood behind Callie, she had been assigned to be Callie's personal medical aid if she showed any signs of a problem. Meredith stood next to Bailey, who was assisting. Meredith held the solution that would be used to fill the hole left by the knife. Derek sat in the gallery with Arizona, Lexie and the Chief, who, as a matter of principle, he was not talking to. Derek wasn't sure if the Chief had noticed how angry he was so occasionally he would let out loud, exaggerated sighs. So far this had only earned him confused looks. They both saw everyone in the OR nod and both leant further in as the surgery commenced.

'10 blade?' Callie held out her right hand. As soon as she held the scalpel she felt better, surgery always made her feel better. She couldn't decide if it was better to pretend this wasn't Mark or if the fact that she was operating on her best friend would make her perform better so she just wasn't thinking about it. She bent down and elongated the cut, careful to only pierce the skin and not cause further nerve damage. She carefully opened the skin around the knife so that the bone was exposed. 'You sure you don't want a retractor for that?' Bailey asked.

'I'm sure. Thank you.' Callie responded coldly, 'it's important that nothing presses down on the nerves and human touch like this can vary the pressure and ensure no further damage is done. Put your hand exactly where mine is and don't move it. Okay?' Bailey nodded and quickly replaced Callie's hand with her own. Callie adjusted the light over her scrub cap and bent closer to look at the positioning of the knife in the bone. She stood quickly to look at the x-rays pinned to the wall of the OR and winced as she felt the sutures on her stomach pull slightly. Meredith was the only one to notice and she said nothing. 'Okay, don't distract me, I'm going to pull the knife out and then I want the solution and syringe instantly.' Callie carefully took a grip on the knife and tightened it when she was happy that her hand wouldn't slip off it. 'Yang, brace me from behind so I don't lose my balance.' Christina put her hands on the back of Callie's shoulders. Callie winced again. She ignored it and put her left hand on Sloan's back to brace herself. She engaged all the muscles in her back to ensure she pulled it out quickly. She felt her left shoulder twinge uncomfortably. She tensed both shoulders and pulled. 'Crap!' The knife was about halfway out when she stopped and tears automatically sprang to her eyes. 'I have something in my eye. Quick!' One of the scrub nurses ran forward to dab at Callie's eyes.

'Oh My God.' Yang said from behind Callie as she felt the moisture on her left hand and knew what it meant instantly.

'Don't let go Yang!' Commanded Callie.

'What's going on?' Derek had pressed the com from the gallery.

'Callie, you've …' Christina sounded concerned.

'Christina. Shut up.' Callie was back in the zone.

Blinking her eyes furiously against the pain she took a deep breath and pulled the knife all the way out and dropped it into the waiting basin. Without letting her eyes move from where the bone puncture was, it was easy to miss, she held out her hands for the solution. 'Grey!' She instructed.

'Oh.' Meredith handed it over. 'Sorry.' She looked up at the gallery. Derek mouthed 'what's wrong?' she shrugged in response, her eyebrows raised. Callie carefully injected the solution and bent closer to watch it set, she gasped as the stitches on her stomach were pulled closer together as she bent over.

'I think you can let go now Yang.' Said Bailey.

'I think I'll hold on,' Christina said.

'Why?' Bailey narrowed her eyes above her mask.

'I – urm – I'm comfortable.'

Bailey looked down at Callie. 'Torres?' Callie held out her right hand again,

'Brush.'

'What?' Meredith asked.

'The brush for the solution to cover the bone and seal the puncture Grey. Hand it to me.'

'Oh. Right.' Meredith handed it over.

As though painting nails, Callie delicately covered the vertebra and stood back. She took a deep, steadying breath and leant back in looking around the bone. 'Suction?' Very gently she went round the space created by Bailey's hands. She handed the suction back and, with a delicacy almost unheard of in orthopaedics, she stroked an individual nerve cluster and looked down to Mark's feet. The toes on Mark's left foot curled slightly. 'Wow.' Gasped Meredith, Derek and the Chief in their respective places. 'How did you know that would happen?' Bailey asked.

'I'm the best.' Callie said bluntly. 'You can let go now Bailey. Thanks.' Carefully Bailey withdrew her fingers. Christina by this point had also let her right hand fall but her left was still planted firmly on the back of Callie's left shoulder. Bailey noticed.

'You want us to close up Torres?'

'Nope. It's a very delicate, specific stitch. We can't risk trapping a nerve.' Callie had already begun closing. The second she was done she let out another steadying breath and let her hands fall. She stepped back and swayed. Christina and the scrub nurse team, who knew exactly what was going on, caught her just as she began to collapse. The wheelchair was there in an instant. Callie slumped as soon as she was sat in it. Christina held pressure on Callie's shoulder and Meredith walked round to Callie's front and gently lifted her scrub top to look at the sutures. 'She's pulled a couple of these.' Meredith said, walking to take the handles on the chair as the scrub team wheeled Mark to recovery.

'Yang? You gonna let that hand go. You're in Grey's way.' Said Bailey.

'Nope.' Christina turned with the chair and walked next to Meredith as they escorted Callie back to her room collecting fresh suture kits on the way.

In the gallery, the Chief turned to Derek. 'Well?' Derek sighed loudly in response and left. Lexie turned to Arizona, impulsively grabbing her hand. 'Callie's amazing.' Her eyes were shining. 'I can't believe she did that, it was so fast and majorly skilled. Amazing.'

'Yeah, she is.' Arizona smiled automatically. Lexie grinned and squeezed Arizona's hand before leaving to be with Mark when he woke up. Arizona leant her head back against the wall and put her hand to her stomach. The butterflies were familiar enough but it was always Callie that caused them, she'd felt nothing but a friendly pride as she watched Callie do the surgery. She frowned, could it really be Lexie's shining eyes that had caused her stomach to somersault? Mind you, she'd been talking about the amazingness of Callie, her girlfriend. That must be it. Mustn't it?

* * *

_Sorry for the delay... I'm not one for disclaimers but i just wanted to say that i've never had any medical training, which may or may not be obvious. I just like talking about it from what i've picked up. Please review and stuff because i so adore it when you do!! x_


	13. Chapter 13

'I cannot believe you pulled two stitches in your stomach and all the ones on your back doing my surgery and you kept going!' Mark's surgery had been two days ago and he'd just got back to his shared room with Callie.

'Actually.' Callie corrected, 'I pulled two of the ones on my chest as well. I'm just that good.' She grinned.

'Yeah. Yeah you are.' Mark said, seriously.

Callie felt a blush rise in her cheeks and was glad that Mark wasn't looking at her. There was a moment of silence.

'Are you going to be starting your physio soon?' Callie asked, politely, like an interested friend.

'Yeah.' Mark's tone was confused. 'Why are you acting like you don't know the exact recovery time and the stages of my recovery intimately. I'm recovering from your surgery.'

'Oh. Right.'

More silence.

'Mark?' Callie spoke cautiously, softly.

'Yeah.'

'When we were, you know, before…' she faded off into nothing.

'Before?' Mark dragged his eyes away from the ceiling, which he'd been staring at since he could see it again, and looked at Callie. She was looking at the ceiling.

'Before we were, committed. You know, when we used to…'

'Have lots of sex in on-call rooms.' Mark finished. He loved how awkward she was being, adorable.

'Yeah.' Callie sighed. 'Did you ever feel…'

'Like it was more than just on-call room sex?'

'Yeah.'

Mark was willing her to look at him but he said nothing to that effect, instead he told the total truth. No one in their right mind would lie to Callie, she was worth more than that. 'Honestly. Yes. I didn't love you or anything, but it was more than sex. It was comfortable, familiar, fun,' she glanced at him and then back to the ceiling. 'And above all,' he grinned, 'it was the best I've ever had.'

Callie grinned too. Her cheeks glowing despite herself. 'But you've had so much sex, with so many different women.'

'Yeah. You were the best.'

'Were?' Callie teased.

'Are.' Mark answered seriously.

'I thought Lexie…' Callie stopped; they were getting into dangerous territory.

'Go on.'

'We shouldn't be talking like this Mark. We're both in committed relationships.'

'Do you know something Callie?'

'Tell me.'

'When you started dating women, all the people in your life started to believe and think that you changed, as a person. To them, you had adopted a new lifestyle and path that made you different. People felt like, maybe, they had to get to know this new you – again.'

'That's not news Mark, you've met my Dad.'

'Well yeah, my neck has. No, my point is, to me, you didn't change. You were still the same person, you still are.'

'Mark, I did change. I swopped teams.'

'Are you gay?'

'Well, not infinitely or definitely. At the moment I guess I…'

'Callie, falling for two women just introduced you to a new part of yourself, a brave, fighter of a woman. You could always stand up for the things you loved but this, this taught you to stand up for yourself. You found yourself a minority, a victim of prejudice and you rose above it.'

For some reason, tears were collecting in Callie's eyes.

'I'm not devaluing your relationships as just being part of your road to self discovery. My actual point is; the heart wants what the heart wants. This shouldn't be a bad thing or viewed negatively by others.'

'I don't really understand,' Callie whispered.

'The heart wants what the heart wants and sometimes the head is the only thing holding it back.'

'Sometimes the head has to take control. Rationality is important.'

'Callie. In that car, I only realised I had flung my body across yours when that kid put the knife in my back. I just acted. My head did not make a choice…'

'But your heart did.' Callie let her tears fall down her cheeks.

They were silent for a long time. Mark returned to the ceiling as Callie let her tears fall. After a while Mark spoke again. 'Do you love her? Arizona?'

'She loves me.'

'That's not what I asked.'

'She's amazing Mark. Truly amazing. I am so lucky to have her.'

'If you were sitting in between Arizona and me in a car and two men with knives came in through the windows and started stabbing. What would you do? Who would you save?'

'Don't.' Callie's voice had a hard edge to it.

'Who would you save Torres?'

'She's just a defenceless woman.'

'That's not an answer.'

More silence.

'Callie, I've been thinking a lot, since the accident and I think that maybe I ….'

'Can you scooch?' Callie interrupted, terrified at what he was going to say next but at the same time, more desperate than anything to hear it.

'Scooch?'

'Yeah, like shuffle over on the bed.'

Mark winced briefly, anticipating the pain, but it really wasn't that bad. 'Yeah. Why?'

'Scooch.' She instructed. He obeyed.

Painstakingly, Callie lifted herself out of bed, pulled out her IV, slid into a standing position on the floor and shuffled over to Mark. Even more slowly, she hoisted herself onto the bed next to him. He smiled, she lay down and lifted his arm from where he was supporting his head to wrap it around herself. She snuggled into his chest. No more words were exchanged. Mark waited for his heart rate to return to normal and then relaxed against Callie. Lulled by the regular rhythm of her breathing, he let himself drift off to sleep, as he was certain she was.

In the pitch dark of the night, as everyone slept and the faint bleeping of heart monitors was all anyone could hear, Callie opened her eyes. Mark was sleeping, certainly, Mark was sleeping. She exhaled, calming herself. Admitting this to the dead air of the hospital was still a massive step. 'You.' She whispered to Mark's chest. 'I'd save you.' Mark's heart-rate increased slightly under Callie's hand as, far away, in his dream, Callie finally allowed herself to love him back.

* * *

_This is my favourite chapter...i hope you like. I've just finished typing up the whole fic on my computer. It's 20 chapters so start counting down. Maybe i'll start another one... ps. how delightful was the work husband/wife stuff this week. I am tradged by the rumours that there will be some singing in the christmas episode and sara will not be participating!! whhyyyy??? x_


	14. Chapter 14

'Callie.' Callie sleepily opened her eyes and the post surgery pains that had accumulated after a night off her meds hit her. She closed her eyes again, wincing. 'Callie.' She grunted a response, an unintelligible response, and shifted slightly on the bed. She felt her arms wrapped around a warm solid something that her head was comfortably resting against. The chest she was lying on was firm, definitely masculine. She opened her eyes again, cautiously and lifted her head slightly to look at the sleeping face of Mark Sloan. The events of the previous night rushed back to her in a wave. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered what she hadn't let him say. She remembered the feeling she'd had, the feeling that she wanted more than anything to lie in Mark's arms and never move. That feeling hadn't gone away. 'Callie.' She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned quickly. Barely an inch from her face was that of Derek Shepherd.

'Derek?' She said, not even attempting to mask her shock.

'You need to get back to your bed. Lexie's on her way up here. I saw her during rounds.'

Derek wasn't being condescending, he wasn't judging her and he wasn't telling her off. Unmistakably, he was helping her. Helping her avoid a scene or helping her stay loyal, either way he was doing a good thing.

'I thought you didn't like me, for going ahead and doing the surgery.' Callie's voice was still thick with sleep.

'You proved me wrong. You hurt yourself doing the surgery but didn't let it stop you and you did the surgery better than any able bodied surgeon could have done it. I was right to be cautious, but I wasn't right to judge your ability and strength like that.'

'Thank you.' Callie paused. 'Wait, did you say Lexie's coming?'

'Yes.' Derek said, relieved that she was finally catching on.

'Oh God. Help me up.'

Derek bent down and put his arm around Callie as she put hers around his neck and he carefully helped her down from Mark's bed, across the room and into her own. He walked around the bed to her other arm and re-attached a fresh IV that he'd apparently brought with him.

'You're helping me?' She said, as Derek adjusted her pillows for her.

'Yes.'

'Why?'

Derek paused thoughtfully, before he said, 'Have you ever seen friends?'

Callie rolled her eyes at him, did he think she lived under a rock? 'Yes. I've seen friends.'

'The way I see it, he's your lobster and vice versa.'

Callie smiled.

'You seem to be taking a while to actually get it together but I reckon you're in it for the long run. This is the real thing Callie. Who am I to stand in the way of that? Even more than that, if I can, why should I not try to help?'

'You're actually a good guy aren't you?'

Derek frowned, 'you had doubts?' He smiled.

'Not any more.' She smiled back. He squeezed her hand and turned to leave, just as Lexie walked in. At the door he turned back and grimaced over her shoulder at Callie. Callie quickly turned her laugh into a cough.

Lexie turned to look at Callie. 'Are you okay?' She asked. Callie nodded and put a finger to her lips, inclining her head in the direction of the still sleeping Sloan on the other bed. Lexie looked over and giggled. She looked at Callie, then back at Sloan and put a finger to her lips as she walked over to Mark's bed and slid herself into the space Callie had just vacated. 'It's warm.' Lexie mused. 'He shifts in his sleep, that must be why he's all over on one side.'

'mm-hmm,' Callie agreed. Her teeth gritted.

'Mark?' Lexie turned to him and leant in close so she could whisper in his ear as her hand gently began to stroke up his inner thigh. Callie turned her head away and closed her eyes. It physically hurt her heart to see Mark, her Mark, with another woman. Mark grunted in his sleep and then let out a moan. Callie squeezed her eyes tighter shut. 'Hey.' Whispered Lexie.

'You stayed.' Mark was still half asleep, his eyes still closed. Callie froze.

'What?' Lexie smiled. 'What do you mean?'

'You smell different.' Mark nuzzled closer in towards Lexie and finally opened his eyes.

'Yeah I took a shower.' Lexie said, looking up at Mark's face as he opened his eyes. 'What do you mean I stayed?'

'Lexie?' Mark frowned, then squinted at Lexie.

'Were you dreaming about me?' Lexie asked, coyly.

'What? I… What happened to?' Mark was completely confused. At that moment Callie began to have a very loud, very dramatic, coughing fit. Lexie practically leapt out of the bed. 'My God. Callie, are you okay? I'll get you some water.' She ran from the room. Callie continued to cough.

'Last night.' Mark whispered to the room.

'It was real.' Callie gasped between coughs. 'I'm sorry. Derek helped me back here. You were sleeping I couldn't warn you. Play it cool.' She continued to cough and then gasp as the coughing subsided. Lexie ran back in with a glass of water and helped Callie to sit up and drink it. 'Thanks,' Callie gasped and Lexie put down the glass and sat back on Mark's bed. He ran a hand down her back.

'I was dreaming about you.' He said, trying to recover his story. 'It was weird. I thought you were with me in this very room, then I open my eyes and here you are. My dream was literally the reality. Weird huh?'

Lexie laughed, 'we must be psychically linked.'

'Yeah.' Mark did not laugh.

'Well I just wanted to come and say hi.' Lexie stood up and leant over to kiss Mark. Callie bit her lip. Lexie walked to the door and turned back to the room when she reached it. 'Bye Callie.' Lexie said, simply. Callie murmured a response. 'Mark?'

'Yeah.' Mark turned to look at her.

'I love you.' She grinned. It was just something she normally said now. It sounded easy, natural. Mark smiled back at her, fully prepared to say it back, just like always. In his peripheral he could see Callie. Her head was turned away, she couldn't face the situation. He swallowed. 'Yeah. See you later.' Lexie frowned briefly, then left the room.

There was silence in the room. Then Mark spoke. 'I couldn't say it. I used to lie to women all the time and I just couldn't say it.'

'Lie?' Callie's voice was soft.

'I couldn't tell her I loved her. That's a lie I couldn't tell her. I don't think it's possible to truly be in love with two women.'

'Oh?' Callie was still looking at the wall so Mark couldn't see the tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

'Callie?'

'It was too hard.' Callie's voice broke and she began to sob. 'All she did was lie next to you and kiss you and it felt like my heart was being torn out.' She turned her face to Mark and he could see the tears. 'Mark it was horrible. I'm a horrible, bad, selfish person. I hate myself and I can't stop. I can't stop feeling like this and for you…' her voice trailed off as she broke down in fresh sobs. 'Oh God Mark, what are we gonna do?'

* * *

_Sorry i havent updated in a while. I was away. Back now though. Oh my goodness, how beautiful was sara's rendition of 'silent night'. Stunning - shame they acted over it :D. I hope you like this chapter i'm trying to show that it's not easy for Callie and Mark to just abandon the past and move on with their lives as a couple, regardless of their feelings. Please review and stuff. I really love it when you do. x_


	15. Chapter 15

Lexie felt unbelievably stupid. In her personal opinion there was nothing more humiliating in life than not having genuine feelings of love reciprocated. There were two things that made the situation worse; one, Callie had been witness to the whole mortifying affair and, apart from Lexie herself, Callie was the most important woman in Mark's life. In fact, Lexie was pretty sure that Callie actually knew Mark better than she did. Maybe he trusted her more…

And two, it wasn't like it was the first time that she'd said it. In fact, Mark had probably said it to her more times than she'd said it to him. Was this payback? Mark wasn't that petty, was he? Had she said something to make him think differently? Now she was frustrated with herself. His neglect or maybe avoidance, to say three little words had made her question everything.

She replayed the morning's episode in her head, just to be sure it wasn't her fault. Nope, she hadn't said anything to upset him. She'd got into his bed without him asking but normally he found her control taking sexy. She'd got him by taking off all her clothes and commanding that he 'teach' her for God's sake! There was the weird way he'd reacted when he'd discovered he was awake and not dreaming though – Callie's coughing fit had pushed that from her mind. Why had Callie started coughing? What was the medical reason? God, Lexie was officially paranoid. Analysing coughing? Come on. Anyway, there was a reason, she'd had a collapsed lung only a few days ago. That was enough of a reason. Wasn't it?

'Lexie?' A pleasantly familiar voice roused her from her reverie.

'Arizona!' Lexie turned and smiled, hugging her, by way of greeting.

'How are you?' Asked Arizona, putting a hand on Lexie's arm as they broke apart. Lexie sighed.

Across the concourse, at the nurse's station, Christina sighed. 'What?' Meredith looked up from the charts she was completing.

'Is she trying to make all the female Doctors on this floor gay?' Christina asked. Meredith followed her gaze. 'What? Arizona?'

'Arizona? Not you too.' Christina raised her eyebrows at Meredith.

'Fine. Dr Robbins.' Christina nodded. 'And. No.' Meredith continued, 'Callie was 'turned' by Hahn. Remember?' Christina wrinkled her nose; the memory of Hahn was still a delicate subject. Meredith shook her head. Christina looked back at Arizona and Lexie who were now laughing at something together. Christina mimicked the laughter crudely. 'Ahaha, I'm Dr. McSuperAwesome and I want everyone to love me, regardless of previous sexual orientation, haha.' She flicked her hair in an attempt at stereotypical girly behaviour that just looked weird on her. Meredith snorted with laughter. 'When have you ever seen her do that?' Christina shrugged, 'Anyway,' Meredith continued. 'They aren't in love. They have a common concern, from which a friendship has grown.'

'Or…' Christina teased.

'My sister isn't gay.' Meredith was defensive.

'Oh, come on, she's your half sister and you don't know her that well anyway.' Christina scoffed.

'Whatever.' Meredith turned to walk away. 'You coming?'

'Where are we going?' Christina dragged her eyes away from Arizona and Lexie who were now walking towards the lifts, still talking and laughing animatedly. 'Definitely gay,' she muttered, following Meredith.

'We are going to help out Callie and Mark in their first ever physio session.' Meredith called behind her.

'And these two would definitely be having sex again if they could move.' Christina continued to mutter as they reached the door. Just about to walk in, Meredith held up a hand. Through the door they could hear the raised voices of Callie and Mark.

'Because it isn't fair.' Callie was saying.

'Oh, come on. Fair is a state of mind, there's no such thing as justice.' Mark responded.

'I refuse to be that woman Mark. She's paranoid enough as it is. I've been in her position and I was right to be paranoid. I won't let her be right.'

'We aren't married Callie!' Mark exploded.

'Which we are you talking about?' Callie's voice was soft.

Outside the door, Christina gaped at Meredith. Meredith leant forward to push open the door. Christina shook her head, Meredith raised her eyebrows as if to say 'try and stop me' and she pushed open the door.

Callie and Mark were staring at each other and both looked guiltily at the door as Meredith pushed it open. 'Sorry to interrupt.' Said Meredith, her tone weighted with meaning. Callie's cheeks flushed red. 'We're here for your physio.' Christina walked round from behind Meredith to help Callie out of bed. 'Is this a new IV?' She asked. 'I don't put them in like this.' She looked up at Callie.

'Urm…Derek came to visit and put in a new one. The old one was…urm…blocked.'

'Oh. Right. Ok.' Christina definitely wasn't convinced but the pleading look in her flatmate's eyes was enough to silence her. She lowered her head as she helped Callie into a sitting position to mask her grin. Meredith walked to Mark. It was more difficult to get him into a sitting position. He gasped as he attempted to bend his back. 'Bending your spine will be the hardest bit.' Callie said, from her bed. 'You just have to work through the pain. It's probably more than likely to be the scar from surgery that's causing pain rather than the actual spine injury.' Meredith looked over at Callie. 'You're a patient. What are you doing?' She said coldly.

'No. I'm the surgeon that did his spine op.' Callie answered, defiantly. Meredith ignored her.

In a horrible, tense silence, Meredith and Christina helped Mark and Callie to stand, just off their beds. Christina couldn't take it. 'Could I talk to you for a second?' She grabbed Meredith's arm and pulled her outside, leaving Callie and Mark standing, unsteadily and unaided.

* * *

_So are we on a hiatus now in season 6 episodes because it looks like the next one is the crossover and that isn't due to be aired until January. Maybe i'm just a bit thick?? I hope you like this chapter. There are actually a few parallels with Callie-Lexie-Mark and Izzie-Callie-George which i didnt want to totally ignore. Might be more on that in later chapters. I quite like Christina in this chapter, we've had a bit less 'mc' this season. I'm bringing it back. x_


	16. Chapter 16

'What are you doing?' Christina spun Meredith round to face her, just outside the door to Mark and Callie's room. Meredith looked away. 'Mer, what are you doing in there? Why are you being so harsh to Callie?'

Meredith looked back at Christina. 'She said she knows what it's like. She does. It's practically the same situation as the her, George and Izzie triangle. The suspicions about the best friend being accurate. It's the same! It didn't work. George and Izzie said they were in love and it wasn't enough. They still didn't work out together and it's horrible. It was horrible for everyone and it completely broke Callie. She pretty much got a demotion because she was so broken and it took her so long to be happy again. She's still all vulnerable and it was actually years ago Christina. Nearly two years ago! George died and Izzie left. The physical memories are literally gone but I think it still hurts, that betrayal, I think it still hurts Callie. Lexie's my sister Christina. I won't let my sister be hurt like that. So whatever it is that Mark and Callie are doing. It has to stop.'

Christina looked at her incredulously. 'Oh Meredith come on! This is not the same. Callie might see the similarities but surely we can see the differences. Lexie and Mark are not married. They haven't made that commitment to each other and that's because it isn't meant to be. We all knew that Callie and George wouldn't last. They were there for each other and they loved each other for a bit but George needed her for moral support and compassion and sex! They didn't have a proper relationship and Callie was hurt because she let herself fall and he wasn't there to catch her. She cares Meredith. Callie really cares about people, more than anyone else I know. She would never hurt your sister on purpose but you must be able to see that, and you also have to see that Mark and Callie are meant for each other. They're perfect together. Perfect. I'm not a romantic. Hearts cannot feel; they are just an organ, a fascinating organ, but nevertheless. Whatever chemicals have to balance to get love; Callie and Mark have that balance. Don't you see it?'

Meredith looked away.

'You do. You see it.' Christina walked round Meredith so that she couldn't let her look away again. 'You see it.' She teased.

'Yeah. Maybe they have something together, I don't know, but I have to think of Lexie in this.'

'Fine. Think of Lexie. Whatever. Just don't take it out on Callie. She's cool.' Christina turned and walked back into the room. Meredith sighed and followed her.

Callie and Mark had heard almost everything. When Christina had said 'perfect' Mark had tried to shift his weight to be closer to Callie but he was exerting enough effort just to stay standing. He almost fell and Callie instinctively grabbed him, drawing him closer to her. Both unsteady, they remained standing by supporting each other. A couple of seconds into this necessary embrace they realised that, since the incident that had landed them in hospital, this was the first time they had been this close to each other standing up. The first time they had truly held each other was right at this moment. Callie couldn't resist, she rested her head on Mark's shoulder and breathed. She let her arms drift from holding his upper arms for support and went instead around his upper back – away from the scar – as Mark moved his own arms to around Callie's lower back – away from her shoulder. He bent his head to rest on hers and breathed her in. Gently and tenderly they held each other. Totally safe, totally supported. No words were required, their physical pain seemed to fade as they held each other. Mark felt complete, truly complete in a way that made him realise he hadn't been aware he was broken until Callie had let herself be willing to fix him. This was different from last time. This was more than best friends with benefits, this was real.

*

It was two weeks on. Mark and Callie had reached a dead end. They cared for each other more than anyone else, more than they themselves could put into words, yet neither would act on it. Neither felt they could. Arizona and Lexie visited them almost every day, often together. Even if they visited apart they didn't specifically come to see the person they were attached to, they came to visit Mark and Callie – together. Subconsciously everyone had accepted them as a couple, practically since their arrival as patients, but consciously almost everyone was blissfully unaware of the twisted love games that were being played. Only Derek and Christina knew, completely knew. After helping Callie out of Mark's bed, Derek had guessed that they had truly found in each other a soulmate. Mark had confirmed this to him on a rare occasion when Derek had come to visit and Callie had been showering – assisted by Arizona, so therefore not present. Christina, despite her many cold layers, was highly intuitive and very good at getting information from people. She had therefore cornered Callie on her way back from a CT check-up and been told the whole story by a sobbing Callie who had only realised the emotional burden of forbidden love when she was saying it to someone else. Mark and Callie themselves were totally aware of how the other felt but they refused to say it to each other, scared of what the reality might lead to. They settled instead for a policy of opposition. When one told the other they hated them, this instead was just them reminding the other how much they loved them. This policy had not been discussed or confirmed but they knew. They understood each other.

However, two weeks, for a passion as strong as theirs, was a long time to keep it bubbling under the surface and Callie and Mark were fit to explode. Though, of course, they didn't say it. They couldn't even sleep in each other's arms and move back before daylight either because Lexie and Arizona, or anyone else who may visit them, worked in the hospital so may often be on call at night. Their respective partners would sometimes spend the night sleeping in their room instead of the on call room when on call too. This was especially awkward.

Callie and Mark were doing very well in their physiotherapy and full mobility in their respectively weakened limbs was fast returning. Callie was taking slightly longer. The positioning of her two most serious injuries meant that she had to work on lower and upper body strength. She was convinced that the physio was in fact making it worse – she certainly wasn't capable of doing Mark's surgery in the condition she now found herself in but apparently this was just the way it was. Callie was frustrated. To Arizona and everyone else it was the pace of her recovery that was frustrating her, to Mark, Derek and Christina it was quite clear that a large portion of the frustration was sexual.

Callie and Mark broke all the rules and all the protocols but they were allowed. This was the reason for the fact that Callie was walking, or rather wobbling, unsteadily, with her right arm supporting her against the wall while the left seemed to wave aimlessly – an attempt at balance, up the stairs between floors when she just stopped. Slowly, deliberately and carefully she sat down where she was on the stairs and burst into tears. She was so close to crying all the time now and the weight of the situation was surely going to crush her soon and she didn't know what to do. So, she began to cry. Quite slowly she was consumed by this sorrow that threatened to stop her heart from ever feeling anything else and she realised that she didn't know when or how she was ever going to stop crying. It was at this moment that Christina, thank God it wasn't anyone else, pushed open the door on the flight below and heard the gentle sobbing echoing in the stairwell. She crept up until she could see that it was Callie, Callie couldn't see her, and silently went to page Derek. She waited for him outside the door to the stairs and as soon as he arrived she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. 'Something has to be done.' She hissed. 'This cannot go on. I don't want all the staff here getting all dark and twisty and I don't actually like very many people here. I don't really like you for instance, but I like Callie and she's very dark and twisty and that's Meredith's thing. Meredith's and mine and I don't want her to get so dark and twisty that she upstages our pain and is all broken. So something needs to be done.' Derek frowned, processing, and then nodded. They walked up to Callie and Christina gently patted her on the shoulder. She looked up, her face wet, her eyes bloodshot and began to cry more loudly. 'I – I – I don't know what to do.' She stammered, through her tears. 'I hurt, I hurt all the time an – and I – I just – I …' her words were lost in tears. Derek and Christina gently took her, one arm each, and guided her up to her floor. At the door, Christina stuck her head out. All clear. Derek put Callie's good arm around his shoulders and practically carried her back to her room as Christina danced around them, keeping a look out. Christina opened the door to Mark and Callie's room. Mark was sat up in bed, watching TV. He turned it off the second he saw Derek bring in the, still sobbing – almost at the point of hysteria - Callie. 'What the…' he began. Christina put up a hand to silence him and went to Callie's other side. They went straight past her bed and to Mark's. He instantly shifted slightly to one side as Christina and Derek lifted Callie into Mark's open arms. 'Just hold her.' Derek said, simply. 'I don't really know what else you can do. She's hurting and if anyone can help it's you, so just hold her ok? Yang and I will look out.' Mark just nodded, still shocked at Callie's emotionally broken state. 'You're a conundrum Torres.' He whispered and wrapped his arms more tightly around her as she sobbed, seemingly without beginning or end, into his chest.

* * *

_Not much actual plot in this chapter i know but i really enjoyed writing all the emotional stuff so...whatever. Please review, i love it when i get the fanfic emails saying review alert. Brightens my day. x_


	17. Chapter 17

Derek and Christina took shifts in guarding the door to Callie and Mark's room or, not to arouse suspicion, they took shifts at stalking Lexie and Arizona. But really there were more than two people who needed stalking so the door was the safest bet. Callie was fragile. Mark was in his protective element and no one in their right mind would risk disturbing them. After eight hours Christina was bored of being altruistic and decided they'd had enough alone time. She gently pushed open the door. Callie was asleep, still wrapped in Mark's arms. Her face was red and wet with tears and it broke even Christina's heart to see that she was quietly crying in her sleep. Mark had the television back on softly but he wasn't looking at it. His face was still turned to Callie and he was wide awake. He was keeping watch over her; the television was a poor distraction for the pain that her sorrow was causing him. 'Urm,' Christina whispered softly to try and get Mark's attention. The arm resting on top of Callie moved and turned off the television but Mark's focus was still on Callie.

'We need to get her back to her bed Mark. We're running out of excuses to stop Lexie and Arizona from visiting. Urm…sorry.' She finished awkwardly.

'No.' Mark said it softly and finally.

'No?' Christina took a step forward. 'You're in a fairly compromising position right now Mark and I don't think, well, I just think…'

'Yang. I frankly couldn't care less what you think. I am not letting go of Callie.' His voice had not risen above a whisper but he was completely commanding. He had absolute control.

'Sloan. Mark. I'm not saying this because I'm a bitch. I am a bitch but I'm cool with that. Mark, I'm saying this because I want to protect both of you. You don't seem to care about hurting other people. You don't seem concerned with how Lexie will feel when all this comes out so Callie is carrying all the pain. She is trying with all her might to not hurt anyone. She's caring about Arizona _and_ Lexie. So, I'm saying this because she doesn't want people to be hurt and she's suffering for it. She needs to go back to her bed.'

Mark finally turned his head to look at Christina. 'What makes you think I don't care about Lexie?' Callie had finally stopped crying and was just breathing heavily, but neither had noticed the change. 'Of course I care about Lexie. I was certain I was in love with Lexie. I really think she changed me as a person. I know what commitment is now. I was just committed to the wrong person.' He turned to look back at Callie, still talking to Christina. 'I know who the right person is. I know what I want and what I need. Callie wants me. Callie needs me. Christina,' he stopped and lowered his voice – briefly checking that Callie was still asleep – before continuing. 'Christina, I love her... Don't say anything.'

Christina allowed herself to smile. 'Mark. I don't think that's a secret to anyone. Callie definitely knows.' Mark smiled down at Callie's sleeping head. Christina sighed, 'Everyone knows you're best friends. Callie's frustrated. She isn't recovering as fast as she'd like to be and Callie likes to be good at things. She was having a hard time and you were there to support and comfort her. That's what you're doing and that's what everyone will be told. Okay?' Christina finished.

'Okay.' Mark rested his head on Callie's and smiled. 'Thank you Yang.' She turned to leave. 'Nice to see you caring.'

*

Lexie had never been to paeds. It was bright and colourful and everyone was smiling. It was weird. Also, there were stuffed toys. Lots of stuffed toys – everywhere. More than the actual stuffed toys were the pictures of stuffed toys because stuffed toys, as Lexipedia well knew, carried infections. She tried to push the creepy childish happiness from her mind, she had a mission. 'Arizona!' She called and ran forward as she saw Arizona emerging from a patient's room, ripping off her gloves. Arizona saw her and smiled. Walking towards her, she met the running Lexie halfway and Lexie, not breaking from her run, pulled Arizona into a nearby supply closet. 'Urm. Hello Alexandra.' Arizona grinned in a bemused way. 'What are we doing inside this supply closet…on my floor?'

'Okay. I just want your opinion. You and I are in very similar situations here with Mark and Callie and I know they're close. They're really close and I'm okay with that. I mean I would probably prefer it if his best friend was not so hot and sexy and stuff but I'm really okay with it. I spoke to Callie and she was cool. She is cool. I like Callie. But urm…did you go and see them today?' Arizona nodded and opened her mouth to speak but Lexie ploughed on with her rant, hardly pausing for breath and ever increasing with speed. 'You did? You did. Is that weird? I mean like they were all cosy and sleeping together and stuff and they're close I accept that. But is it weird? Maybe I should find it weirder. They were just sleeping weren't they? Comforting. I guess she's having a hard time and Mark understands and…' Arizona put a finger on Lexie's lips just as Mark had done once and Lexie was silent.

'It's a little weird. But I suppose it's all about trust. Do you trust Mark?' Arizona took her finger from Lexie's lips. Lexie nodded, almost impulsively, then stopped. She shook her head. 'I just assumed I did. I haven't thought about it in such a long time. Just the very fact that I'm questioning him. What does that mean?' She paused. 'Do you trust Callie?'

'I haven't any reason not to.'

'Apart from the sleeping curled around her male, best and ex sex friend.'

'Apart from that. Yeah.'

'Yeah.'

They both stopped. Looking away from each other, the realisation hit both of them at exactly the same time. 'Arizona?' Said Lexie, cautiously.

'Alexandra?'

'I don't think I'm in love anymore.' Lexie couldn't look Arizona in the eye.

'Really?' Said Arizona. 'Me either.'

'Oh.'

'Obviously I still fancy Callie. She's incredible. Who wouldn't fancy her?'

'Yeah, she's hot.' Arizona looked suddenly at Lexie, who blushed a stunningly bright shade of red. 'Sorry.' Lexie whispered. 'Don't know why I said that.'

'Probably because it's true.' Arizona said, grinning cheekily. 'You have a good eye.'

'Are you flirting with me?' Lexie's skin was still bright red.

'Maybe.' Arizona smiled again and walked out of the supply closet. Lexie stared after her and sat down, heavily, on the floor.

* * *

_Da-daa. New chapter. Not much in the way of plot but some pretty moments perhaps. x_


	18. Chapter 18

Lexie stormed into Mark and Callie's room. Callie was awake. Still curled up next to Mark, they were watching television. In total, comfortable silence. 'Mark?' Lexie broke the mood. Completely. 'This is weird. I'm not going to lie. I find this thing weird. I should find it weirder that you're all cosy and not caring and stuff but I, I find this very weird.'

Mark looked over at lexie with a bemused expression creasing his brow. 'You're ranting.' He observed, simply.

'Yes. I suppose I am. You said it was adorable once. You used to love it.'

'Yes.' Still simple. Almost no emotion.

'I was talking to Arizona.' Lexie said. Callie looked round as well. Interested. 'I went to see her in paeds. We had a talk. Mark, I'm so incredibly sorry.' Tears suddenly came to Lexie's eyes. 'I'm so sorry because you're such a good man. You treat your friends with such amazing respect and I feel so proud to be able to say that I changed you. Mark. Mark…' she couldn't find the words.

'You can say it. Whatever it is Lexie. You can say it.' Callie slightly lifted her head to look directly at Lexie.

'Actually, it's between Mark and I. Just this one thing in his life that doesn't involve you. Is that alright?' Lexie looked at Callie with ice in her eyes. Callie frowned and put her head back on the pillow. Mark ran a comforting hand down her arm. Lexie noticed. 'Mark?' She asked, pointedly. She looked at Callie, meaningfully. She wanted her to leave.

'Callie stays. Whatever it is. Callie stays.' Mark looked back at Lexie with absolute defiance.

'Fine. Mark. I don't love you anymore.' Lexie had let it go in a stream of rage and she instantly realised what she'd said and took a step back, her hand covering her mouth. Hesitantly, she walked round the bed to Mark's side and put both of her hands on his arm. 'God Mark. I'm so sorry.' Mark was silent. He didn't say a thing. He slowly turned his head to look at her.

'Ok.' Now there was actually no emotion in his voice at all.

'Ok?' Lexie's voice broke as tears trickled down her face. 'Did I mean nothing to you? I tell you I no longer love you and that's ok? Mark. Who are you?'

'I'm Mark and I'm ok.'

'So are we finished now? Is this over? Shall I move out now?'

'That would be the obvious solution. A loveless relationship isn't a relationship. I'm sorry it had to end like this. I really enjoyed our time together.' He wasn't sorry. His tone clearly wasn't sorry. Lexie tilted her head, looking at Mark from a fresh angle, she took one hand from his arm to wipe her eyes and, seemingly subconsciously, used the other to straighten his blankets. Abruptly she turned and walked towards the door. At the door she stopped. 'Callie?' Callie looked round at her. 'Just so you know. I blame you.' Then she was gone. Callie looked back at Mark, her eyes wide.

'What did I…' she began. Mark gently tightened his grip so that she was forced to roll completely towards him. He lifted her head slightly and kissed her. Restrained passion and repressed lust burnt through his mouth and tongue as he kissed her. His lips caressed hers and his tongue worked a slow, familiar route. He leant into her, deepening the kiss and finally pulled away as Callie gasped for air. 'Probably that.' He finished for her, smiling.

'abhada,' Callie mumbled.

'Say what now?' Mark grinned.

'I'm not free,' Callie was still breathless. 'I'm not a free agent. You shouldn't have done that.'

'Sorry.' He was still smiling, thoroughly satisfied with himself.

'Please don't be,' she breathed, finally sitting up and rolling off the bed. 'I'm going to go for a walk now. It's quite important that my blood pressure drops and heart rate slows before my check up.' She stumbled out of the room and Mark laughed. A massive weight had been lifted from him. Yet another had crashed down on Callie.

'Callie?' Arizona walked up to her in the hallway outside their room.

'Oh God.' Callie breathed, looking up and attempting to smile at Arizona.

'Are you ok?' Arizona knew Callie, she could see in her eyes that the smile was a lie. Callie nodded, then, yet again, her eyes filled with tears. She shook her head. Arizona opened her arms and folded Callie into them and she cried gently onto her shoulder. It wasn't a romantic hug of hair smelling and back rubbing it was a friendship hug of strength and support. 'You're not ok.' Arizona whispered down to Callie. Callie pulled away and looked into Arizona's face.

'Lexie broke up with Mark and she said it's all my fault. Then Mark and I kissed and so I guess she was right but I didn't feel bad but now I feel horrible because now I have to hurt you and I don't want to hurt you.' Arizona smiled at Callie.

'You love Mark.' She said simply. Callie nodded and bowed her head in shame. Arizona put a finger under Callie's chin and lifted her head to look straight at her. 'I know.' Callie frowned. 'I know you love Mark and more than that, I knew before you did that he loves you. Callie, I care about you so much that your happiness is enough for me and, if it's okay, your friendship would be lovely because I need you. I need you as a friend, someone to talk to and be a shoulder when I have to cry.'

'When you talk to the chief you mean?' Callie attempted a watery smile.

'Right.' Arizona laughed, weakly. 'I'm letting go Callie. I'm letting you go and I'm going to move on. Be happy.' Callie looked at her with complete wonder in her eyes.

'You're amazing. Arizona, you're the most amazing woman. Thank you.' Callie wrapped her arms back around Arizona and pulled her into a tight hug. The two women stood in the hall tightly wrapped around each other. At the other end of the hall Lexie stopped. Fury burned in her face as she started to walk again, fast, towards Callie and Arizona. She pulled Callie away from Arizona, by her left shoulder. 'Ow!' Callie exclaimed.

'What the hell are you doing?' Lexie yelled into her face. 'You think because you have your lovers in separate places you're okay to have two? I saw you kissing Mark. I hadn't left, I was just outside and I saw it.'

'Lexie, don't.' Arizona put a hand on Lexie's arm which she shook off, without even looking at her.

'I liked you Callie. You're talented and beautiful and I thought you were the most loyal friend and partner. I was so wrong about you and Arizona deserves so much more.'

'I know.' Callie said, incredulously. 'She does. That's why we aren't together any more.'

'What?' Lexie finally looked round at Arizona, who nodded. 'You just let me make a fool of myself and didn't say anything?' She was addressing Callie again now.

'I'm still in the wrong?' Callie asked.

'Well…duh!' Lexie spun on her heels and stormed away. Arizona put a comforting hand on Callie's arm and turned to run after Lexie.

Callie walked back into her room. Mark looked round. 'I'm a free agent too.' She said, her face was hard to read. Mark smiled and opened his arms to her. 'Lexie really hates me though.' She said as she walked to his bed and shuffled up next to him. 'That's gonna be really awkward when we go back to work.'

* * *

_If only everything in the world worked out like this! Only two chapters left. Please review and stuff - i love it a lot! x_


	19. Chapter 19

'It's only been a month.' Mark was saying to Callie as they walked, hand in hand, towards the hospital doors.

'I could say the same thing to you.' Callie said back to him, smiling.

'You needed more physio though Torres.'

'And you had a spine injury. Going back to work on the same day as you makes perfect sense medically.' She stopped, meaning that he had to stop too, and turned him round to face her. 'Stop worrying.' She leant forward and kissed him. 'Better?'

'I don't know.' Mark put a hand round Callie's waist and pulled her in close to his body. 'Try again.' Callie grinned and obliged, tilting her head to deepen the kiss having absolutely no desire to ever pull away. Behind them someone coughed. Mark and Callie broke apart and Callie turned, still in Mark's arms to see Lexie and Arizona walking past, arm in arm. Arizona turned and looked back at Callie, 'sorry,' she mouthed, but didn't stop – Lexie was dragging her into the hospital. Mark leant down and whispered in Callie's ear, 'awkward.' She dug an elbow into his ribs but had to relent when he kissed her ear. 'Stop it.' She said, her smile completely undermining her words. She unwrapped his arms from around her waist and took his hand, following Lexie and Arizona into the hospital.

The pair changed into their matching dark blue scrubs and headed onto the surgical floor. 'It feels weird. This feels weird.' Callie muttered to Mark as they walked towards the board.

'No it's not.' Mark took her hand, 'it's familiar. And this,' he squeezed her hand, 'this is right.' Simultaneously their pagers went off. 'ER.' Mark said, looking at it.

'Me too,' Callie answered, looking at hers. 'Now it's familiar.' They dropped hands and headed towards the lift.

The doors opened into the ER and the pair walked towards the nurse's station. As soon as they came into full view of the ER someone started to clap. From each bay and from the trauma rooms staff emerged. Christina, Derek, Hunt, Alex, Meredith, the nurses and even some of the mercy west lot were applauding and walking towards them. Arizona appeared from behind a crowd of interns and walked to Callie giving her a tight hug, 'I'm so glad you're okay.' She said, smiling and going to Mark to hug him also. She took him to one side as Callie was engulfed by the crowd. 'I'm okay with this. You and Callie. I'm okay with this because she's happy and I'm hot and I can move on because everyone loves me. That's not me being big-headed by the way. It's just me being honest and realistic.' She smiled and Mark smiled back. Suddenly her smile dropped. 'But the second you hurt her, I will stop being okay. I may be a little woman but I can definitely kick your ass. Got it?' Mark frowned at her and then nodded. 'I won't hurt her. I don't think I could. I love her Arizona. I think we both do.' Arizona nodded and hugged Mark before walking to join the crowd around Callie. Mark saw Callie's hand emerge from the crowd and grabbed it, she pulled him in. Her eyes were shining, 'we work with some amazing people.' She whispered. As the crowd disbanded to go back to their various chores, Mark leant into Callie. 'I know. I work with you.' Callie blushed and her pager went off. She looked at it. 'Actual page.' She said. 'I gotta go. I'll see you for lunch?' She asked.

'Definitely.' She walked away, letting their hands break at the final, possible moment.

About halfway through the day Callie found herself free, bizarrely, seeing as it appeared the chief had told all orthopaedic cases to have minor procedures that just carried them over until Callie could come in and do the actual work. Mark was looking at the surgical board when Callie walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. He gasped in pain.

Instantly Callie released him and spun him round to face her. 'My God. Are you okay?' She asked. He nodded. 'Oh. That's convincing.' She said sarcastically.

'It's nothing. I guess my stitches haven't healed properly yet.' He said, weakly.

'Urm. I did the stitches. The stitches were brilliant and they definitely should have healed. They were dissolving sutures they don't even have to come out.' She raised her eyebrows at him and opened her eyes wider.

'What are you doing?' He asked, slightly backing away.

'Mark. I am staring you down. It has a fabulous track record for getting the truth out of male surgeons.'

'Oh.' He looked into her face. 'It's good. I feel compelled to tell you the truth.' Callie nudged him, 'stop that. I'm serious. Tell me what's wrong.'

'It's just my back.' Mark sighed. 'It's been aching. I didn't want to say anything. I don't want you to panic.'

'Turn around.' She commanded. Mark obeyed. She took the bottom of his scrubs top to lift them up and Lexie appeared behind them.

'Oh that's subtle. Yeah, not awkward at all. Why don't you just strip each other in the middle of the hallway? Oh, wait, you already are!' She stormed away. Mark sighed. 'Why does she hate me so much more than you?' Callie wined.

'Because you're the other woman.' Mark answered, kissing her forehead. 'Lunch?'

'Yeah ok.' Mark began to lead Callie away. 'Wait?' She stopped. 'I feel like I was meant to be doing something. What did Lexie interrupt?' Mark shook his head.

'Don't know.' He lied.

Callie sat down behind the nurse's station where Christina was already sat doing paperwork. She leant back and closed her eyes. 'How long have I been working?' She moaned to Christina. Christina shrugged. 'Dunno. I guess about 19 hours. You on call now?' Callie moaned. 'I'll take that as a yes.' Christina said, hiding her smile behind her charts. 'Why don't you find McSteamy and have an on call room experience? You used to do that all the time. I remember. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to want to go to sleep in an on call room? People are always doing the McNaughty in on call rooms. It's just wrong.'

'Hypocrite.' Callie laughed.

'Whatever.' Christina stood up. 'Here's McSteamy.' She said, seeing Mark walking in their direction. Callie opened her eyes attempting to motivate her legs to stand up when Christina gasped, dropped her charts and ran round the desk in the direction she had just indicated. Callie stood up. Her own heart seemed to slow down as she saw, in slow motion, Mark put both hands to his back – where Callie knew the stitches were – his face contorted with pain. He dropped to his knees and collapsed onto his front. As his whole body began to fit, Callie's vision returned to real time. Her legs ran, of their own accord, to Mark's side. She dropped to the floor next to him calling, automatically, for all sorts of medications and supplies. Christina ran off to get them as Lexie ran in and dropped to Mark's other side. 'What did you do?' She yelled at Callie, holding him down as best she could. 'What do you mean, what did I do?'

'You screwed up the surgery!'

'I what?' Callie wasn't even looking at Lexie as she pulled up Mark's scrubs top. 'Oh crap!' She exclaimed as she looked at the incision she, herself, had made only a month ago.

'Would you look at that?' Lexie was almost kneeling on Mark now. 'Is that sepsis? I think so.'

'I see it. I see it. Crap, crap, crap.' Christina ran up at that point with the sedative, which she injected straight into Mark's thigh, through his scrubs. Gradually he stopped seizing.

'Christina, I need a wet to dry dressing for this incision.' Callie called from the floor where she was attempting to check Mark's vitals from behind.

'Oh My God.' Christina leant over Callie and saw the way that the incision was hardly visible in the raw, red, oozing rash that was spreading across the base of Mark's back.

'The sepsis has gone through the skin. Callie it's completely infected. It might even be on the bone!' Lexie raised her voice at Callie.

'It's not in the bone!' Callie yelled as Christina returned with the dressing and the means to apply it. Callie, fast and expertly, applied the dressing and, very gently, turned Mark over stroking his hair out of his sweaty face. 'Mark?' She coaxed gently. 'Mark, baby, open your eyes. Please open your eyes.' She pleaded softly.

Lexie rolled her eyes at Callie, unmistakable disgust curling her upper lip. She raised a hand and slapped Mark, hard, across the cheek. Mark's eyes snapped open and Callie gasped. 'What the hell did you do that for?' Callie exclaimed. Mark was gasping in pain, his skin very pale. At that point, the Chief, no doubt paged by a nearby nurse, came running towards the scene. 'What happened?' He barked.

'I don't know. He collapsed, query sepsis, but I don't know.' Callie stammered.

'A post op infection?' The chief asked Callie.

'Yeah. Obviously.' Lexie stood to face the chief. 'And who do we blame for that? Who did the surgery?' Lexie looked straight down at Callie. 'Oh yeah. I remember.' She said, in a tone so patronising that it made Callie physically cringe.

'Well, when you've finished pointing the finger Grey, can you get a gurney for Dr. Sloan?' the Chief interjected. Lexie immediately ran in the direction of a spare gurney. As orderlies came forward to lift Mark carefully onto the gurney Callie turned to the chief. 'I know I wasn't in peak condition when I did Mark's op but I still did it right and I don't know why it's infected. I did it right, sir.'

'I know.' The chief put a hand on Callie's shoulder. 'A lot of post op infections are random. We can't predict them. I know you did nothing wrong. It was a good op Torres. Try not to panic.' Callie nodded and ran after Mark's gurney.

* * *

_Penultimate chapter. Dedicated to my lonesome reviewer for chapter 18: WinnieMoo. I gave y'all a nice long one before the last one that's a little shorter. Please review, just so i know it's being read. x_


	20. Chapter 20

Arizona met Lexie outside Mark's room. 'Thank God you came.' Lexie grabbed Arizona's arm. 'You need to get rid of Callie. She won't leave Mark's side.'

Arizona frowned, 'Alexandra, Calliope is Mark's girlfriend. Why should she leave?'

'I want to talk to Mark.' Lexie was being stubborn.

'Is he conscious still?'

'Yes. Just a bit woozy. Callie's pumping him full of drugs to try and get rid of the infection and then she's going to operate to remove the infected tissue if it doesn't clear up. Of course, as head of plastics, he should be doing the op or even Karev or Meredith, they have plastics experience but whatever.' Lexie rolled her eyes in the direction of the room. Arizona took the opportunity to look through the bay windows. Mark was slightly propped up in the gurney, a very sickly colour. The light was gone from his eyes and he wasn't showing any active form of communication. The infection appeared to have struck him down suddenly and dramatically. Callie sat on a chair pulled right up close to the edge of the bed. She was clasping his hand in both of hers, complete concern in her face. She had Mark's chart open on his lap and was looking from that, to the machines, to the x-rays and other scans to Mark himself. She was the ultimate doctor girlfriend, caring with knowledge.

'Why do I need to get rid of Callie?' Arizona asked again, she could see that Callie wouldn't leave.

'I have to talk to Mark. We broke up in a fast way; it was fast and kind of unexpected. Maybe he thinks I made a mistake. Maybe he made a mistake. I mean, Callie's a rebound and he's just clinging…'

'No.' Arizona took hold of Lexie's shoulders and made her look into her eyes. 'Have you looked at them? Have you even tried to look at them without this sudden hatred of Callie clouding your judgement? Alexandra, they are in love. I think they've been in love for a while and neither of us, let alone them, saw it. Look.' She spun Lexie round to look through the window. 'Calliope is terrified right now. The man she loves is sick, again. She's blaming herself and that's partially your fault. That is not right. Get it?'

'In love?' Lexie whispered.

'In love.' Arizona confirmed.

'Did he ever love me?'

'Yes.' Arizona rested her head on Lexie's shoulder. 'He loved you very much just as Calliope loved me very much. I know that. I have to believe that and I really do. It was love but it wasn't the sort that lasts forever. This.' She paused as they both looked at Mark and Callie. 'I think this might just be forever. You see?' Lexie nodded, a lump in her throat.

Lexie knocked softly on the door to Mark's room. It was dark now. Lexie had gone away and thought. Hard. Mark was sleeping. The antibiotics seemed to be working and he was already improving just as fast as he had deteriorated. Clearly Callie's choice of drugs was a winning combination. Callie herself was sleeping too. Her hands still clasping Mark's and her head resting on the mattress. Lexie's knock hadn't made any difference. She cleared her throat. Callie started and sat bolt upright. 'Mark?' She leapt up and checked the machines. Confused, she turned around. 'Lexie.' She sat back down again. Lexie walked forward and swallowed.

'Urm. I'm sorry for being horrible.'

Callie frowned.

'I shouldn't have just started hating you. I didn't get the adjustment period and I took it out on you.'

Callie nodded. 'I noticed.'

'I don't blame you. I don't have a right to place blame and so I won't.' She swallowed again. 'You're his girlfriend now.'

Callie nodded again, 'yeah.'

'Arizona said I should be honest with you and tell you what I said at the actual time of the surgery.' She bowed her head so she no longer had to look at Callie in the half light. 'I turned to Arizona and told her that you were amazing. I shouldn't change that view just because you're my ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend. You're an exceptionally talented Doctor. You command respect and deserve kindness. You're a very enviable force in this hospital Callie. I'm sorry.'

Lexie didn't see Callie stand up and walk to her but she felt Callie lift her head and wrap her arms around her. Callie released Lexie. 'Thank you.' She whispered. Lexie nodded and quietly left. Callie returned to Mark's side.

He stirred and opened his eyes. 'You ok?' He croaked.

'I am now.' She kissed him. 'You're looking much better.' Callie said.

'I am aren't I?' Mark grinned weakly.

'You broke your promise.' Callie whispered, settling next to him on the bed. 'You promised never to get hurt again.'

'Oh yeah. Sorry.'

'It's ok.' Callie sighed, 'Just this once.' Callie snuggled in closely to Mark and he put an arm around her. 'You're definitely ok though?'

'Yes.' Mark replied, gently. 'Callie?'

'uhuh.' She was drifting back off to sleep.

'Is this going to be it? What we have now. Will it last?'

'Forever.' She kissed his neck.

'Just checking we were on the same page.' He confirmed.

'We are.'

There was a silence. Callie was practically asleep when Mark spoke again. 'Callie?' She grunted. 'I will always love you. This is it. I'm holding on to you and I am never letting go.'

'Good.' She yawned. 'I love you too.'

END

* * *

_Wow, begging works. So this is the end. I'm away for christmas now but i've loved writing this so maybe i'll do another one when i get back. Any thoughts? You've all been fabulous. I hope you liked the way it finished ... you know what to do. xx_


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